Original subtitles

(somber music)

- [Narrator] Lam Ho Yi, better known to her fellow peers

at the University of British Columbia

and popular culture at large as Elisa Lam,

was a bright, thoughtful, and imaginative student.

Her interests in fashion

and talents for writing were weighed down

by the unfortunate demons

of bipolar disorder and mental suppression,

clouding the circumstances that most assume led

to her initial vanishing and tragic death.

Amateur sleuths and professional investigators have spent

the better part of almost six years

digging theoretical tunnels

and holding magnifying glasses up to anything and everything

that might shed the one decisive clue

in the ultimate reason behind Elisa Lam's demise.

These probes and perusals,

combined with assorted observational evidence,

have only created headaches

more than they've solved questions,

leaving the uncracked mystery up for grabs

by anyone willing to tackle

such a brain-bending mind twister.

As a hope to provide a more substantial reasoning built

upon observable evidence and situational analysis,

this is an examination of the bizarre circumstances

surrounding Elisa Lam's confusing death.

This is Cold Case Detective.

(dramatic music)

(somber music)

Elisa Lam was born on April the 13th, 1991

in Vancouver, British Columbia to two emigrants

from Hong Kong, David and Yinna Lam.

Her parents opened up a restaurant in Burnaby, Canada,

and the family helped operate

the popular dining spot called Paul's Restaurant for years.

In 2010, Elisa started her first blog

on the internet titled Ether Fields.

Throughout the next couple of years,

she used the platform to showcase her love

for fashion and clothing, often posting magazine articles

and fashion-related photography.

She also would openly speak

about her struggles with mental illness,

constantly fearing her transcript would show

her frequently dropped classes

and sporadic college attendance.

However, she also wrote honestly about her thoughts

and ideas about psychology, emotion, and the human spirit.

Throughout these blogs, she kept records of her own musings

while sharing stories that reflected a bright mind

and an intelligent thinker.

Written in her final blog on Ether Fields,

Elisa announced that she would be transferring her energy

and social media presence to Tumblr,

starting a page titled nouvelle/nouveau,

translated as news/new.

On her page, Elisa shared thousands

of images and pieces of writing,

both her own and of various authors.

It was apparent on Tumblr

that she held deep rooted interests

in classical books and films, experimental art and design,

and fashion and culture.

Sprinkled amongst these fascinations were bits

of dark, brooding images,

hinting at a more personal sadness and a conflicted mind,

full of monsters, melancholy, and misery.

In fact, Elisa did have a history

with a couple of psychological disorders,

this narrative kept under wraps by her family

for months after her disappearance and death.

Specifically, she was diagnosed

for bipolar disorder and depression.

Bipolar disorder is a mental illness

that causes depression itself,

in addition to instances of abnormal and elevated mood,

called mania or hypomania.

To treat these disorders, Elisa took multiple medications,

such as Dexedrine, Wellbutrin, and mood stabilizers.

For most of her life,

Elisa functioned without major ramifications

as a result of these struggles,

and until the fateful trip to Los Angeles in 2013,

she had shown zero signs of breakdown or danger,

to both herself and others.

Despite these characteristics,

it's important to remember Elisa Lam was a human being

just as we all are.

She was a promising student

at the University of British Columbia,

and obviously had a plethora of ideas about the world.

She had a family, a faction of hobbies,

and most importantly, a future.

Unfortunately, it was cut short of her potential,

as the mystery of her fate began

to unravel in December of 2012.

(dramatic music)

On December 21st, 2012,

Elisa gives the first recorded mention

of her desire to travel to the West Coast

and visit a school in Santa Clara for potential transfer.

A week later on December 28th, Elisa mentions on Tumblr

that her cell phone has been misplaced.

After the New Year, on January 5th, 2013,

Elisa mentions planning for her West Coast tour

and for the first time suggests meeting up

with people via the internet.

A couple of days later, on January 7th,

Elisa books her flight for the West Coast tour

and tacks on a very eerie message regarding

the future on Tumblr.

Then, on January 9th, Elisa posts on Tumblr

that due to paranoia she has made a new Facebook account

for the 5th time,

and reposts a blurb she had written earlier that day.

Before the blurb is an introduction in which she claims,

this is the very start of my depression

and today I am feeling very low.

Fast forward to January 18th,

when Elisa supposedly arrives in Vancouver on her tour.

Four days later, on January 22nd,

she supposedly travels to San Diego

for the first leg in her journey,

after missing her initial flight

while getting lost in the airport.

On January 24th, Elisa posts on Tumblr

that her trip so far has consisted mostly of activities

and actions that she participates in back

at home on a normal schedule.

With this post, she hints at her later actions

in Los Angeles when she says,

every now and then I do something

entirely impulsive and reckless.

A few days later on January 27th,

she posts again on Tumblr

that she was out with friends at a speakeasy,

and had in fact lost another phone.

Although this time it did not belong to her,

instead she had borrowed her friend's old BlackBerry

for her trip.

The next day, January 28th,

Elisa arrives in L.A. and checks into the Cecil Hotel

near Skid Row, a budget motel for tourists in the city.

On January 30th, Elisa's anonymous roommates complain

of her odd behavior and she is moved to a private room

on the fifth floor

so that she isn't a disturbance to other guests.

On January 31st, the last day

of her planned visit in Los Angeles,

Elisa is seen for the last time

by a couple of anonymous hotel workers

and then finally by a clerk,

Katie Orphan at the local bookstore,

Katie mentions Elisa was by herself

but also outgoing, very lively, and very friendly.

Orphan also says that she was talking

about what book she was getting

and whether or not what she was getting would be too heavy

for her to carry around as she traveled.

Because Elisa was supposed to check out

of the Cecil Hotel that day

and travel to Santa Cruz for the last leg on her tour,

both her parents were waiting for a phone call.

In fact, Elisa had called her parents

almost every night during her trip,

despite losing her temporary cell phone.

After they heard nothing from their daughter,

Mr. and Mrs. Lam flew to Los Angeles

to file a missing persons report

and assist the Los Angeles Police Department

in their search.

Throughout the first week of February,

both the Lam couple and LAPD scoured the Cecil

and the surrounding areas for any trace of Elisa.

Police dogs were unable to pick up on her scent,

and for the first few days, no clues were uncovered.

Elisa's room that she stayed in prior

to her disappearance was void of any suspicious items

or sign of disturbances,

an unsettling occurrence for such a strange vanishing.

On February 6th, the LAPD released

an official statement online

regarding Elisa Lam's disappearance

and details surrounding the case,

urging citizens to keep an eye out for her profile.

A day later, they hold a press conference on February 7th,

but again receive no leads or calls from the general public.

Then, on February 14th, LAPD releases the biggest bombshell

in the entire case, an elevator surveillance clip

from February 1st, showing Elisa Lam walk in the elevator,

press a series of buttons

and proceed to act in a bizarre manner.

The clip was unsettling to say the least,

but gave investigators one more glimpse

into Lam's final sighting

and brought the case to worldwide interests.

The missing persons search would soon come to an end,

however, when on February 19th,

Cecil Hotel workers responded to multiple guest complaints

about funny-smelling water and low faucet pressure.

The employee went up to the rooftop water system,

peered into an open tank,

and discovered Elisa Lam's naked body floating face-up.

LAPD was immediately notified

and the water tanks soon became a crime scene.

A couple of days thereafter, on February 21st,

the Los Angeles Coroner's Office issued a label

of Elisa Lam's demise as accidental

due to the consequence of drowning,

with bipolar disorder as a finding

of other conditions contributing but not related

to the immediate cause of death.

In June of 2013, the full coroner's report,

along with the toxicology results,

were released to the public, as well.

While not revealing any massive twists to the mystery,

it did note that Elisa Lam's body was indeed found naked,

with her clothes also found in the water tank,

discovered in a sandy particulate,

along with her keys and watch.

From here on out,

thousands of theories, hypotheticals, conspiracies,

and simple casual conversations have been discussed

through the following months and years.

Nobody seems to want to stick

by the L.A. Coroner's Office and their findings.

Many questioned the police investigation,

and even more saw possible holes in their final report.

Regardless, the timeline of Elisa Lam's death

and its direct series of events blossomed

into the most talked about case of the 21st century.

(somber music)

Without a doubt, the most controversial

and scrutinized piece

of the Elisa Lam case is the four minute CCTV footage

that the LAPD pulled from one

of Cecil Hotel's surveillance tapes,

situated in the upper corner of a main elevator carriage

in the northern corridor.

Before we dive deep into its content,

let's watch the main portion of the video.

Be warned, the following images are unsettling

and could be viewed as sensitive material...

The video is a bit grainy

and segments of it are hard to clearly make out,

but one thing is for certain,

Elisa Lam is the subject of the footage

and is clearly reacting to something.

Now what that something is will probably

never be accounted for with 100% certainty,

but it sure does make the clip that much stranger.

It really makes you wonder,

is Elisa peering out of the elevator

with the sense that she's being followed?

One could argue she's talking out loud at certain points,

possibly just to herself.

Between the random buttons pressed upon her entrance

to the emptiness of the hallways,

to the undistinguished hand gestures

and body positions she makes,

the rhyme and reason to the video is impossible

to explain upon the first watch.

There has also been some controversy revolving

around the tape's origins.

Some people across the internet claim

the footage skips one-minute of the time code,

but because it's of low quality, it's not easy to point out.

Others say that the footage itself has been tampered with,

purposefully pixelating Elisa's mouth at various points,

but these reports have been either denied

or flat out ignored by professionals.

One thing is for sure, the elevator footage

from February 1st, 2013,

depicting the last known images of Elisa Lam,

have conjured both worthy concern

and farfetched conspiracies,

and remains the single most interesting piece

of evidence linked to the entire case.

Since the day Elisa Lam went missing,

the CCTV tapes were released,

and her body was discovered

on the rooftop of the Cecil Hotel,

countless theories have been proposed across the internet

and publications all over the world,

trying to unlock the secrets

of the seemingly unexplainable mystery.

Many of these assumptions are based purely

in conspiracy theory.

Some circles have drawn up wild fantasies

that explain Elisa was playing an elevator game,

attempting to cross over into alternative universes.

Others believe Elisa was possessed by spiritual forces,

encountered paranormal subjects,

or was contacted by otherworldly beings.

These farcical attempts to glamorize Elisa's death

as science fiction or occultist are based

upon zero observable evidence,

connected by complex, coincidental claims and hyperbole.

For example, the location of the Cecil Hotel is

in Skid Row of Downtown, Los Angeles.

This area is infamous for its high crime rates

and suspicious activity.

Drug peddling and violent crime are common

both outside and inside of the hotel,

which has its own history of murder and suicide.

In 1985 serial killer Richard Ramirez,

dubbed as the Night Stalker,

stayed in one of the 600 rooms

in the midst of horrifically killing 13 women.

Another homicide suspect, Jack Unterweger,

stayed in the hotel in 1991.

It was a frequent spot for those with suicidal tendencies,

seeing a few people jump from the rooftop

in the 1950s and 1960s.

It even housed another cold case,

that of Pigeon Goldie Osgood, a former telephone operator

whose mutilated body was discovered in her room in 1964,

and whose death remains unsolved.

Despite the criminology of the Cecil,

none of it can be directly attributed

to the tragic death of Elisa.

A much more real explanation is that Elisa Lam was followed

during her time in Los Angeles,

chased in the hallways of the Cecil Hotel,

and subsequently murdered

and placed in the water tank by a second party.

Initially, this theory made sense.

If you go back to multiple Tumblr posts

that Elisa made throughout the end of 2012

and beginning of 2013,

she was conscious about her outspoken nature and feared

that one day her mouth would get her into trouble.

At various points, she wrote about unsettling anxieties.

One post read, I'm going out tonight,

I really hope no creeper comes near me.

And twice Elisa was convinced trouble was lurking

around the corner at the fault of her tongue, saying,

"I really need to be removed from society

"before my big mouth gets me in trouble

"and I get beaten up," as well as,

"My mouth is my downfall and it will get me in trouble.

"I already do so many stupid things.

"I have troubles knowing where the boundaries are

"and it seems I always make the biggest mistakes

"at the worst possible moments and get caught

"and face consequences for getting caught

"the one time I wasn't thinking

"and did something stupid to cut corners."

So taking into consideration,

she repeatedly sparked the fuses of strangers around her,

it's plausible she did it in the wrong place

at the wrong time that winter.

In addition to Elisa's worries is the manner

in how she acted during the elevator footage.

After she enters for the first time

and presses the floor buttons, she waits a few moments

before quickly approaching the elevator's door frame.

She then quickly sticks her head out into the hallway

and glances from side to side in a hurried manner,

then pulling back into the elevator.

She pins herself against the wall, and then into the corner,

acting as if she was avoiding the vision

of someone from outside.

She goes back to the doorframe once more

and again cautiously sticks her head into the open.

From here, she makes a series of random movements

before pressing more buttons.

When she returns outside for the final time,

it appears as if she's communicating either orally

or with her hands.

Regardless, no one is seen and Elisa disappears from view.

The first part of her movements could indicate

she was hiding from another person,

but her random footwork and dazed demeanor

in the second part of the footage just doesn't make sense

if she truly was on the run.

The Tumblr post concerns combined with the suspicious video

truly makes you wonder

if there was someone involved with Elisa's death,

but there are too many rebuttals to the argument

that her cause of death was a homicide.

For instance, there were zero bruises

or signs of bodily harm on Elisa's figure,

ruling out an assault.

All of her belongings were accounted for

besides the long lost cell phone,

ruling out a robbery or attempted robbery.

The eyewitness testimonies by hotel employees

and the book store clerk claim she was completely alone,

and showed no sign of struggle

or distress regarding another person.

Cameras captured no other suspects

around the time of Elisa's recording,

and her lack of relationships

in a new territory helped rule out a planned

or gestated murder,

as she had very little friends back at home,

let alone Los Angeles.

In the end, there was zero evidence confirming the theories

about murder or foul play,

leaving both the LAPD and us to rule it out.

All of that being said,

the official opinion of the L.A. Chief Coroner

and assigned medical examiners presents a Catch-22.

They preface their final hypothesis with a warning

that the interpretation of the evidence is limited

because of the small sample size,

particularly the lack of blood samples tested

due to low levels.

However, they then contradicted themselves when they say

that the police investigation ruled out foul play,

but also stated, a full review

of the circumstances of the case

and appropriate consultation do not support intent

to harm oneself.

The manner of death is classified as accident.

So if there was no harmful intention

either by Lam herself or a second suspect,

then how exactly did Elisa Lam accidentally climb up

a massive cylinder, discover it was the water tanks,

lift up an incredibly heavy lid,

and jump into the dark water?

And if the lid was already opened,

why did she choose to climb in as a response?

Murder and suicide are polar opposites

that have been deemed inapplicable.

Believers that Elisa was killed by somebody else linger

over the fact that the rooftop access was protected

by alarms on the doors,

and the fact that accessing

the water tanks required agility and strength.

However, it's been repeatedly explained

that the hotel has four different access points to the roof,

three by fire escape that have no alarms,

and that the water tank lids were either opened

or lighter than originally assumed,

easily operated by a woman of Elisa's size.

So now we must find the middle ground

between the two explanations

and justifiably theorize how such a specific, unarguable set

of circumstances can be regarded as an accident.

The most plausible and evidential theory is

that Elisa Lam suffered from a manic episode due

to her struggles with bipolar disorder,

both leading up to and on the day of February 1st.

To start, we must consider the toxicology reports.

Two different antidepressant medicines prescribed

to Elisa were either traced directly

or metabolites were traced

to her heart, blood and liver enzymes.

One of these drugs was Bupropion,

known to sometimes cause mania in bipolar disorder.

Another mood stabilizing medicine had metabolites traced

to her enzymes,

but Elisa's anti-psychotic medicine was not found

in her system.

So in review, Elisa had only taken one

of her prescribed drugs the day she passed,

and had only taken the others recently

if not at all in the days leading up to her death.

The toxicology report also confirmed

that Elisa had no alcohol in her system,

or other recreational drugs.

This rules out the possibility

that she had been under the influence of substances

while on camera in the elevator,

or that something such as pills

or drunkenness inspired her to climb into the water tanks.

Her liver was not tested for rohypnol,

better known as roofies.

There was no urine in the system,

meaning she excreted any and all liquid waste urine

that would contain traces of roofies, Ketamine,

or other date rape paraphernalia.

So reflecting on the information regarding her history

with mental disorders and the calculated prescription use

and lack thereof, we must next understand

what exactly an episode of mania is.

Severe mania can include psychotic features,

such as hallucinations, delusions, paranoia,

catatonia, and lack of insight.

One mental health professional uses the phrase,

disorganization yet appearing singularly-focused,

highlighting its occurrence when Elisa presses the buttons

in the elevator at random,

appearing intent on some kind of agenda or direction.

Symptoms of mania also include psychomotor agitation,

which involves repetitive, purposeless,

or unintentional movements and behaviors.

These movements and behaviors are made

in response to feelings of restlessness caused

by increased anxiety.

Dr. Daniel Murrell reviews in a medical journal

that these actions can result in wringing of the hands,

pacing, and taking off clothes repeatedly.

All three behaviors were exhibited by Elisa

both in the elevator footage

and in or around the water tanks.

The fact that Elisa Lam attempted

to go the roof at all could be a response

to hallucinations and/or delusions.

What these might have been are unknown

and it would be unfair to Elisa's memory

to assume and fictionalize her mental illness.

It's important to note

that manic hallucinations are not just visual,

but can be manifestations of sound, smell, taste, and touch,

another possible explanation to her removal of clothing.

In combination with the inconsistent prescription upkeep,

the pure fact that Elisa was in a foreign location

with a lack of communication back home

could have set off a manic episode.

The people Elisa had been staying with,

since she booked a shared room with fellow guests,

stated that Elisa was acting strangely

to the point she was bothering the others,

and had to be moved to another room by herself.

The additional trigger

of isolation could have initiated mania,

as well as playing a role by why she was by herself

for the remainder of her time in L.A.

The last bit of promising evidence supporting

this theory is a testimony received by us

from an confidential resident,

to be referenced as Resident A,

from Los Angeles, California,

who wishes for both them

and their family to be kept anonymous.

After hearing about our investigation

into the case of Elisa Lam

and having little to no prior knowledge of this scenario,

Resident A told us that a few years ago

they had a family member in Mexico commit suicide

as a result of manic depression, or bipolar disorder.

Resident A stated that this family member died

from drowning after plunging into the depths

of a similar industrial water tank.

Resident A also stated that this was a common occurrence

for the family member,

who as a result of their bipolar disorder,

seeks out bodies of water

whenever suffering from a bout of mania.

Resident A confirmed that this family member was

about 35 years old when they passed away,

but had been suffering from mental illness

for over a decade, and had an inclination to run away

and find attraction to water throughout the years.

While this case has no direct relation to Elisa Lam,

it's peculiar that both instances involve

a confirmed bipolar subject

who as a result of their condition,

drowned because of an unconscious gravitation to H20.

There is hardly any research done in the medical

or psychological field regarding this phenomena,

but we are incredibly interested

if there are other situations like this one.

If anything, it further confirms that Elisa's reason

for selecting the Cecil Hotel's water tank

to be not a mystery,

but a tragic symptom of her psychological illness.

(gentle music)

In the end, taking all evidence, scientific research,

and societal patterns into account,

we've determined that the initial report

from the Chief Coroner is accurate,

in that Elisa Lam died accidentally due to drowning,

as an indirect result of bipolar disorder.

While other theories were briefly discussed,

their complete lack in observable evidence

and origins from make-believe prevented them

from serious consideration.

The reason this case fascinated followers all over the world

and produced incessant gossip and conspiracies is the fact

that it's hard for people

to accept simple, innocent explanations

for complex and unsettling situations.

Psychological disorders are heavily stigmatized,

but also very misunderstood.

People do not want to accept that Elisa Lam was suffering

from hallucinations due to bipolar disorder,

because that's only in her mind,

and they struggle accepting such indistinction.

Instead, it's much easier to tell our own versions

of what we want to have happened,

something far more fantastical

or intriguing than mental illness.

For example, people believe another party was involved

because Lam's cell phone was missing,

and her Tumblr remained active

for months following her death.

Yet the simple answer is her original phone was lost weeks

before her trip, and Tumblr will populate active accounts

with posts in the likeness of their previous content

for a brief time after they go dark.

People also couldn't wrap their brains

around the fact that Elisa made it to the rooftop

and into the water tanks undetected.

However, it's quite simply laid out

in the undisputed material facts

and supporting evidence section

of the motion for summary judgment document

after the Cecil Hotel was sued

for its role in Elisa's death.

In box 10, it states that,

the rooftop access door is equipped

with an electronic alarm system

which alerts hotel employees

when the rooftop access door has been opened,

followed by box 14 that states,

the alarm for the rooftop access door was not activated

at any point in January or February 2013.

This means that Elisa used one of the three fire escapes

to reach the rooftop,

proven possibly by an intentional guest

at the Cecil Hotel via a YouTube demonstration.

In addition, the Motion

for Summary Judgment reports in box 20

that someone could theoretically access the water tank

by climbing to the top of an elevator utility room

and jumping down upon the water tank from above.

This photo depicts the elevator utility room in question,

which allows easy access

from a red set of stairs and adjoined ladder.

The leap from that structure

to the water tanks is also quite negligible,

as seen put to scale

with the size of a human portrayed here.

In terms of the elevator video,

our story centric minds want to fill in the hallways

on either side of that elevator full of monsters

and perpetrators and supernatural phenomena.

But in reality, there was nothing of the sort the night

of February 1st, 2013.

Only Elisa Lam truly knows what she saw

and what she felt the day she disappeared,

and it's up to us to trust

that it was the unfortunate unpredictability

of mental illness that caused those emotions,

and the actions that resulted from such.

After all, Elisa was a young women

who had recently gone

through intense emotional rollercoasters

with an identity crisis and building anxieties revolving

around her purpose in life.

She was somewhat aware of this impending depression,

and admitted online that she could tell she was leaning

towards impulsive and reckless tendencies

after the fact, a glaring sign of potential mania.

She was about the age that many young people start

to experience what are called breakthrough symptoms

of both bipolar-spectrum

and schizophrenia-spectrum tendencies.

The unfamiliar surroundings of Skid Row, Los Angeles,

potential insomnia, mixed with an absence

of proper medicine compounded her confusion

and eventual mania.

There is no one ruling factor that led

to Elisa Lam's harrowing, misfortunate death.

Instead, it was a combination of nature and circumstance,

heightened by coincidental video recordings

that cultivated a gross amount

of inconsiderate internet conspiracy.

Let this examination

of the bizarre circumstances surrounding Elisa Lam's death

be a step in the process of ending the stigmatization

around her struggles with disorder,

and mental illness in general.

Elisa was a beautiful human being with unlimited potential.

She had interests and hobbies

and dislikes like all of us do.

She has a family who still honor her memory.

It's time for us to do the same,

and take lessons from her illustration,

look after those with mental health issues,

and speak up about it,

before it creates another confusing saga

like that of Elisa Lam.