Elisa Lam Conspiracy Theory By Jenny Nguyen

Introduction:

Bloated and grotesque. This was how LA County officials found Elisa Lam (Duke). It has been 4 years since Santiago Lopez, the hotel maintenance man, found Lam’s body in a water tank atop Cecil Hotel’s rooftop (Holland). Elisa Lam’s cause of death isn’t the only thing strange about her death, but it’s a question about how she died has even the LA police scratching their heads (Swann). Security footage of a strangely acting Lam, prior to her death, soon surfaced which has sparked many conspiracy theories such as:

1. She Was Murdered By A Hotel Employee (Radford)

2. She Was Assassinated Over A Government Project (1)

3. She Was Playing A Game That Led Her To Another Dimension (1)

The theories surrounding Elisa's mysterious death just get crazier and crazier from here, but the one that seems the most likely is that Elisa Lam had been murdered by a hotel employee; otherwise how else did she end up on the locked rooftop?                                     

Character Analysis:

           Before her death, Elisa Lam seemed like she had it all together; she was almost finished with her third year in college, had a fashion blog, and two loving parents (Nickles). Elisa was even called “caring and conscientious” by her peers (Nair). When it was announced that Elisa had died, her classmate, Alex Ristea, said “This is the last person I expect out of all my friends to have something like this happen to her”(1).

           

Elisa Lam may have seemed picture perfect to everyone, but Elisa was actually struggling with bipolar disorder. In bipolar disorder, a person would have high, elevated, increased moods and rapid speaking; followed by a deep depression (“Bipolar disorder.”). On her blog, etherfields.blogspot.com, Elisa blogged: “Depression sucks. I have no control over my emotions. I will be angry for two minutes and then sad again. I will be happy for half an hour and then emotional again”(L.L.).  Could Elisa been experiencing some symptoms of bipolar disorder? Also, according to her autopsy report, coroner Jason Tovar found traces of bipolar disorder medication in her system (Tovar).

           Many people believe that Elisa Lam’s bipolar disorder was to blame for her death. When that video of Elisa in the elevator surfaced, many took it upon themselves to analyze her actions. The video shows Elisa waving her arounds, walking in and out the elevator, and pushing many buttons.

While Elisa had many friends who were sad to see her die, Elisa was actually a very shy and introverted person. When Elisa planned her trip to California she told no one about it, but she post where she was going to go on her blog. Elisa’s blog seemed like an output for her, as she “just wish[es]...someone around me could understand what it really means to be depressed (Lam)". Her blog seemed like the only place where she could express her true emotions as she blogged “So many of the tumblrs I follow seem to carry the same grief as me in some way or another (Lam)”. Elisa had probably felt that she could not connect with her fellow peers well enough, so she used her blog to feel connected to other people.

            Elisa Lam’s personality is still a big mystery though, as there have many conflicting reports of her by everyone around her. While on the internet she may have seemed like a girl struggling with depression, many people found her very friendly and kind. Prior to Elisa’s death, Elisa had actually visited a bookstore near the hotel where the manager, Katie Orphan, described Elisa by saying "She was outgoing, very lively, very friendly," while getting gifts to take home to her family (Flynn). But when that video of Elisa in the elevator was released, many people were calling the cause of her strange behavior to be an episode of bipolar disorder. So who is the real Elisa Lam, could her lively personality be a front to hide her battle with bipolar disorder, or could everyone else be lying as part of one big conspiracy theory?

Conspiracy Theories:

Ever since that surveillance footage of Elisa surfaced of her in the elevator, many people have taken it upon themselves to analyze her behavior and figure out what could’ve happened to her. This has led to many conspiracy theories that are both plausible and implausible. While her death has been ruled as an accident, there are some things that are just not adding up. So, what happened to Elisa Lam?

While not a conspiracy theory, the most obvious answer to Elisa Lam’s cause of death is that Elisa committed suicide. At Elisa’s time of death, autopsy report showed that there were bipolar medication in her system (Tovar). While taking medication was supposed to help Elisa, the effects may have worn off causing Elisa to experience symptoms of it. When looking at the surveillance footage of Elisa in the elevator, Elisa is seen talking to herself and making bizarre movements, such as waving her hands around suddenly or walking in and out of the elevator (D.). According to mayoclinic, these are symptoms of the high part of bipolar disorder called manic (“Bipolar Disorder”). Manic can also cause hallucinations, which can explain why Elisa looks like she is playing hide and seek with someone else (1). Manic, however, is followed by a low called depression (1). The bigger the manic, the bigger the depression (1). Since Elisa seems to be experiencing hallucinations, which are some of the more extreme symptoms, it is safe to assume that Elisa was hit by a big depression. Elisa’s depression could have caused her to commit suicide by going to the roof and drowning herself in a water tank. While not the easiest way to kill oneself, bipolar disorder can cause someone to make irrational decisions (1). Elisa also wouldn’t be the only one to have committed suicide while under the influence of bipolar disorder, as many as 15% of people suffering from bipolar disorder commit suicide every year (“Bipolar Suicides”).

While Elisa committing suicide is very believable, it does not explain how she got onto the rooftop, or how she got herself to fit into the water tank. One that does clarify these, is that Elisa was murdered by a hotel employee. It was already strange that Elisa would book a flight and hotel for California all by herself, unless she was meeting someone up. The only question that remains is who was Elisa meeting up? Some suggest that Elisa actually met up with an evil spirit, which seems outlandish but not when considering the history of the hotel (Savastio). The hotel that Elisa was staying at, Cecil Hotel, actually has a long dark history (1). The hotel used to be very infamous for many of its hotel guests to commit suicide and how many serial killers including: Jack the Ripper, Black Dahlia, and Richard Ramirez, was spotted at this hotel(1). The biggest evidence that points to Elisa being murdered by a hotel employee though, is that the rooftop could only have been accessed by a hotel staff (Ranker). Even when opened without a key it would have set off an alarm within the building (1). Assuming Elisa had gotten past the door without setting off the alarm, it still does not explain how Elisa could have lifted the heavy metal lids on the water tanks all by herself without some help. Even though being murdered by a hotel employee explains how Elisa ended up on the rooftop and in the water tank, it does not explain why she was pushing all the buttons on the elevator, or why the elevator was not working.

The next theory that would explain this is rather a peculiar one as it is Elisa was playing something called the Elevator Game (James). It is an urban legend game that starts with entering an elevator with at least ten floors, and that if you follow a series of steps the elevator will place you in a ghost dimension or the Otherworld (1). Other people who have played this game have reported that a woman appeared to them in the elevator once they reached the top floor (1). There has been many on the internet that have speculated that Elisa was playing this game and saw this woman and it explains why Elisa looked scared (Radford). Elisa playing this “elevator game” would explain why Elisa had been pushing all the buttons all at once as this game requires it. Also through the course of this video many have noticed that the elevator had been taking a long time to close, which if Elisa had been playing this elevator game would be explained by certain rules of the game would have prevented the doors from doing so. With Elisa acting the way she did, Elisa playing the elevator doesn't seem so far fetched now.

One theory that would explain all the circumstances surrounding Elisa’s death is that Elisa Lam’s death was apart of a secret project of the government. It is no secret that there have been many conspiracy theories surrounding the government, but this one has just way too many coincidences for it not to be considered. The first evidence is that Mycobacterium tuberculosis that causes Tuberculosis (TB) is tested by a test called “LAM-ELISA.” (“The Most Deadly”) This test was made in 2009 three years before Elisa was found dead (1). There has been talk on the internet that Elisa was chosen to be apart of a larger role that involved using her body to infect the other guests at the hotel with TB to increase medicinal sales (1). Not to mention there was an increase in reported TB in areas surrounding Cecil Hotel (1). The biggest price of evidence that ties Elisa to TB is that the center for tuberculosis research is located at the same college Elisa was attending, University of British Columbia (1). Now why would the government want to infect the people? Population control. With all of these circumstances put together, it wouldn’t be surprising if Elisa Lam really was apart of a government project.

Conclusion:

Elisa Lam’s death continues to remain a mystery as to what really happened to her. Her death has sparked many conspiracy theories such as:

1. She Was Murdered By A Hotel Employee (Radford)

2 .She Was Assassinated Over A Government Project (1)

3.She Was Playing A Game That Led Her To Another Dimension (1)

Whether or not Elisa really committed suicide, one thing for sure is that the events leading up to her death seems really out of place for someone everyone said was a really “outgoing and friendly” person.

Works Cited:

“Bipolar Suicides.” Bipolar Lives, www.bipolar-lives.com/bipolar-suicides.html.

James, James St., et al. “The Elevator Game and the BONE-CHILLING DEATH of Elisa Lam.” The WOW Report, 19 Mar. 2014, worldofwonder.net/disappearance-elisa-lam/.

“Bipolar disorder.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 15Feb. 2017,www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/bipolar-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355955.

dennisjromero. 13 Feb. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TjVBpyTeZM. Accessed 30 Nov. 2017.

Duke, Alan. “How did woman's body come to be in L.A. hotel water tank?” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Feb. 2013, www.cnn.com/2013/02/21/us/california-hotel-water-corpse/index.html.

Flynn, Sarah Barns and Ellie. “What really happened to Elisa Lam?” The Sun, The Sun, 4Oct. 2017,www.thesun.co.uk/fabulous/4602348/what-really-happened-to-elisa-lam-the-student-21-was-found-dead-in-a-la-hotel-water-tank-but-no-one-knows-how-she-got-there/.

Holland, Gale. “Death outside skid row hotel is under investigation as possible suicide.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2015, www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-skid-row-suicide-20150613-story.html.

L.L. “Ether Fields.” Expecto patronum, 1 Jan. 1970,etherfields.blogspot.com/2011/11/depression-sucks.html.

Lam, Elisa. “Ether Fields.” Ether Fields, 27 July 2012, etherfields.blogspot.com/.Nair, Drishya. “Elisa Lam Death: Friends Call Her Caring and Conscientious, AutopsyResult Inconclusive.” International Business Times UK, 1 July 2014,www.ibtimes.co.uk/canadian-woman-elisa-lam-death-cecil-hotel-439535.

Nickles, Jesse. “Elisa Lam: The College Girl From Canada Whose Hotel Death Is So‘Mysterious’ She Inspired A Horror Film.” CollegeTimes, CollegeTimes, 31 May2015, collegetimes.co/elisa-lam/.

Radford, Lyra. “12 Theories That Might Explain What Happened to Elisa Lam.” Ranker, www.ranker.com/list/elisa-lam-theories/lyra-radford?page=2.

Savastio, Rebecca. “Was Elisa Lam Murdered by a Ghost? · Guardian Liberty Voice.” Guardian Liberty Voice, 29 Nov. 2016,     guardianlv.com/2013/11/was-elisa-lam-murdered-by-a-ghost/.

Swann, Jennifer. “Elisa Lam Drowned in a Water Tank Three Years Ago, but the Obsession with Her Death Lives On.” Vice, 27 Oct. 2015, www.vice.com/en_us/article/3bkmg3/elisa-lam-drowned-in-a-water-tank-two-years-ago-but-the-obsession-with-her-death-lives-on-511.

The Most Common, The Most Deadly, www.themostcommonthemostdeadly.com/single-post/2015/11/19/What-is-the-connection-between-LAMELISA-Test-for-TB-and-Elisa-Lam-Canadian-Tourist-who-was-found-dead-in-a-Water-Tank-in-the-Cecil-Hotel.