All language subtitles for Cold Case Detective S01 E01_track3_[eng]

(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.