The 2013 incident Murphy was referring to was the mysterious death of Elsa Lam. The 21-year-old Canadian woman was staying at the Cecil during her visit to California. Lam was last seen by the hotel staff on January 31, 2013, the day she was expected to check out. Lam wasn’t seen for weeks and presumed missing until her naked body was discovered in one of the hotel’s rooftop water tanks. Her death was eventually ruled an accidental drowning, but the creepiest part of the incident revolves around a video surveillance tape the LAPD released during the investigation.
The video – which I warn you is pretty scary – was taken on February 1 in one of the hotel elevators. In it Lam is seen acting strangely as she presses multiple buttons, hides in the corner, steps in and out of the car as she flails her arms and appears to be talking to someone. Lam finally exits the car and isn’t seen again on the tape, disappearing for days until workers found her body. After her death, some theorized that Lam was possessed at the hotel, hiding from a pursuer, reacting to drugs (though no recreational drugs were found in the toxicology report) or having a psychotic break.
