Parents sue over daughter found dead in Cecil hotel water tank

LOS ANGELES — The parents of a young woman whose body was found in a water tank on the roof of a downtown hotel in February are suing the establishment’s owners.

Parents sue over daughter found dead in Cecil hotel water tank

Remember Elisa Lam? The Canadian student's body was found in the hotel water tank roughly two weeks after her parents reported her missing. The LAPD first reported her case as highly suspicious. The county coroner said her autopsy was inconclusive and ordered further tests. They estimated results would be available in 6 to 8 weeks, but it took 19 weeks. They ruled her death was accidental and mentioned she was bi-polar, which did little to explain her mysterious death.

The mysterious elevator camera footage of Lam the night she disappeared: Elisa Lam Video Before Found in Water Tank

Here are links to my two previous threads about Elisa Lam:
Police: Elisa Lam's autopsy report to be announced this week

LA Coroner: Elisa Lam Death Accidental

reply to post by TruthLover557


She appeared to be drunk or high when i saw that video.

Is the length of time in the tank what is makimg it
inconclusive?

Maybe she was high and was looking for that little
girl from "The Ring"

not to make light of this but do you have any better ideas?

reply to post by TruthLover557


S&F because I really appreciate when people do a follow-through on a story.

The Cecil Hotel operators had an obligation to make the premises safe for Lam and “inspect and seek out hazards in the hotel that presented an unreasonable risk of danger to (Lam) and other hotel guests,” the suit states.

Wow. I wondered what would be the basis for their suit if any, so thanks for the info. I do hope they are compensated. It's sad though when mental illness is involved. That autopsy took so long and as you point out, police said it definitely was suspicious.

well i can't tell if shes just being frustrated with the screwed up elevator, or there is something wrong with her.

a normal person wouldn't have spent 4 minutes at a seemingly broken elevator.
she checks for people pressing buttons outside few times, she waves her hands around testing censors for the doors. she looks up and down the hall for staff im guessing.

but then she just hangs out there...
like why... use the stairs, walk through to building to find another elevator.

reply to post by Bisman


Which normal people are you talking about? Common sense has been a misnomer for at least a couple of decades now after all!

reply to post by TruthLover557


Why is it the hotel's fault.

I know this is a mystery but what did the hotel do wrong. She goes to the roof, I am guessing past signs saying employees only and climbs into a tank and drowns and somehow the Hotel is liable. Why?

The one thing here is a lack of having people accept that the daughter did something unsafe.

It is just denying that people are responsible for their own safety.

Having said that, the case sounds as fishy as a port market when the trawlers come in.

Cotton wool society where YOU are never responsible for you actions.

P

This case is still extremely strange in my opinion. Why did the autopsy take so long? What's up with the time stamp? Was there time truly missing? So many questions shroud this case, with very few answers forthcoming.

Her demeanor is still puzzling. Many contribute her behavior to drug use, which is indeed a strong possibility. The video is still eerie, regardless. At times, it seems as if she's playing a game with someone. She goes from playful, to serious, and alternates between. Was there someone outside of the elevator with her? And why the hell did she hide herself in the corner of the elevator?

Speaking of the elevator. Why did the doors remain open for so long? The length of time they spend open is unusual, and unlike any other elevator I have ever been in. There are some who speculate that there is someone outside of the elevator, holding the call button and preventing her from leaving. Which could also be a possibility.

And how did she get on the roof? Reports indicate that it is apparently locked at all times, and there is only one key held by management. Did she climb the fire escape perhaps? Is there even one leading up to the roof? I suppose there might be. But did she really climb all the way up to the roof, and into the water tank, in a daze on her own? Why would she even go up there?

Why was she even at that hotel (alone) to begin with? Was she on vacation?

I have to wonder if we will ever know what happened to Elisa Lam. One can only hope that her family and friends find closure and learn the truth. And if she was murdered, that her killer be brought to justice.

reply to post by Lunarian


I couldn't agree with you more. The unanswered questions in this case are just too much. While I realize it has to be a difficult process for the Lam family, I felt a sense of relief to learn her family is taking the matter to civil court. I hope they find closure as it seems to have been sorely missing all along in this case.

reply to post by Lunarian


I believe I may be able to illuminate the situation in terms of wether there was roof access or not. The answer is, indirectly, yes there was roof access. The actual door to the roof was locked, but someone who stayed at the Cecil, actually wrote on a web journal or some such, that access to the roof could be gained by way of the window, to the fire escape, and up a small set of steps if I remember correctly. The individual who posted that information to the web, was allegedly staying at the hotel during the period when Lam's body was in the tank, unbeknownst to the patrons of the hotel. The access to the roof had been gained, in an effort to see if there were any decent views from the roof, which might have lent themselves to being photographed.

The individual went on to comment that, indeed, there were no good views (which given the location of the hotel, I can well believe) from the roof. I believe links to the statements I am referring to can be found in one of the threads that the OP linked to in the first post of this thread, since that is where I originally read them.

TO THE OP :

Also, while I am posting, I would like to express my admiration for the OP. The dogged manner in which you have followed up on this case, time after time is an indication of the most laudable qualities of any manner of investigator, and I think that this website is lucky to have you amongst its esteemed membership, very lucky indeed.

reply to post by Bisman


Nope, I think she's practicing for a meeting of some kind. She is rehearsing what she is going to say to someone.When you see her outside of the elevator she is waving her hands around and reciting what she is going to say. She stops the elevator while waiting for this person to appear.Then finally presses all the buttons to the other floors so that when the person shows up, she can act casual and say she is waiting on the elevator.The question is...who was she waiting on and did they have anything to do with her death afterwards.At the very beginning of the video she is tampering with the elevator to keep it open.I'm wondering if she somehow had a key to it?

They have a case and they will prevail.
Doesn't change the fact that the woman did herself in.

My theory has always been and will continue to be (unless further evidence is released) this:

The Cecil Hotel was known for a live in murderer once upon a time and a suicide from the window of one of the floors. It was a bit of a tourist attraction for those two things specifically and other odd/bizarre events. My theory is the Hotel was not only in on it but absolutely did it and did it for attention/money.

Farfetched? Yep I am. I could go into the millions of reasons why I think this but I got so invested into this woman and the case from the start that I ended up having to give it up completely because I was so distraught with the lack of information and answers. I only hope Elisa is resting in peace.

So.. Basically, we're getting to a point in society where we are all immortals and if we die? It is by someone's fault. Someone else did something wrong if a human being ceases to live ..and someone needs sued so yet someone ELSE can get money and live better for the death that happened.

Am I missing anything here?

Wrabbit2000
So.. Basically, we're getting to a point in society where we are all immortals and if we die? It is by someone's fault. Someone else did something wrong if a human being ceases to live ..and someone needs sued so yet someone ELSE can get money and live better for the death that happened.

Am I missing anything here?

In my opinion, a wrongful death lawsuit is a way for family members to get answers in the deaths of their loved ones when criminal charges are never brought by the government. These lawsuits are most common when someone dies under suspicious circumstances and their death is subsequently declared to be an accident or suicide. A wrongful death lawsuit is normally the only legal remedy available to families seeking justice for their loss. Though frivolous lawsuits abound, I still feel that sometimes money is not the motivator for a family filing a wrongful death suit.

A few examples come to mind. Texas pastor Matt Baker murdered his wife and staged her death to look like a suicide. The local police closed her case within hours of her death. About a year later, after collecting evidence on their own and without police assistance, the family of the pastor's wife filed a civil lawsuit. By presenting their case in civil court, they were able to gain the attention of the law enforcement officials who had ignored their suspicions. Criminal charges were finally brought against the pastor and he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Another example was the civil case brought against O.J. Simpson after he was found not guilty. The burden of proof is less in civil court than in criminal court. Nicole Brown Simpson's family succeeded in bringing a multi-million dollar judgment against O.J. for the death of their daughter.

My mother drowned under very suspicious circumstances. The prosecutor pushed hard but was unable to obtain an indictment from the grand jury in her death. My mom was a quadriplegic for one year and four months before she passed away. Me and my grandmother did not have the strength to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit at the time due to the 24/7 schedule we had in taking care of my mom. The statute of limitations has already passed in her death. The evidence against the person she was with that night is out of the park when it comes to negligence, as the woman failed my mom in so many ways. I don't want to talk about these events. I mention it for the sole purpose of expressing my regret in not filing a wrongful death lawsuit in her case when I had the chance. I feel that this woman owes my family answers and deserves to be held accountable for her actions. Neither will ever happen and her death will remain a mystery to me for the rest of my life.

My guess is, besides law enforcement, no one knows the circumstances of Elisa Lam's death as well as her parents do. I feel it is unfair to assume their motivation is money and unfair to assume their grief lies in the sheer fact that their daughter wasn't immortal. Of course, this is just my opinion, for what it's worth.

reply to post by TruthLover557


Those are very good points to consider. I would ask why the poor sod that owns the hotel is the patsy that gets sued and has the expense of defending the case! It seems fair the way you have expressed it and yet an assumed innocent party is getting sued. That is a legal system at work, but not a system of justice.

P

reply to post by ValentineWiggin


The Cecil has an interesting history.
Serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger stayed in the Cecil.
At least three people have jumped to their deaths from windows or the roof.
There's been at least one unsolved murder at the Cecil.
And these are just the stories that made the news.

Also, you may remember news of a Tuberculosis outbreak in LA the same time Elisa Lam went missing.
Supposedly, a common test for detecting TB is called a LAM-ELISA test.

Don't cha love strange coincidents?

pheonix358
reply to post by TruthLover557

 

Those are very good points to consider. I would ask why the poor sod that owns the hotel is the patsy that gets sued and has the expense of defending the case! It seems fair the way you have expressed it and yet an assumed innocent party is getting sued. That is a legal system at work, but not a system of justice.

P

Honestly, I feel like justice is never served in or out of court. So I ultimately agree with you. The hotel owner is unlucky for sure, as he is facing another lawsuit. Some of the people who drank and bathed in the same water Elisa was found in filed a suit against the hotel months ago.

It may not be just but the law is very real and vast on matters of negligence and premises liability. The hotel owner does have responsibilities that are uniquely tied to his ownership of the property on which this death occurred. The court will determine whether he maintained these responsibilities and how his actions did or didn't contribute to the 21 year old's death.

reply to post by TruthLover557


You know what would actually cause me to respect some of these people suing when true, horrible tragedy like this strike their lives? (whatever happened to cause her death, it was pretty tragic for the family, no doubt).

If lawsuits to 'bring justice' or see change came with absolutely $0 benefit to those filing it. THAT I would respect. I don't mean they need go broke, as legal fees should be 100% covered by a win. I also don't mean wrong doing, if found, shouldn't be punished and money is sometimes the only language understood.

Lets see folks like this sue for the stated information, changes or procedures they seek ...with an iron clad section about any financials to come from winning above direct and attorney costs during the process, be donated to whatever is deemed (in advance) to most benefit the interests the Plantiff represents.

If the Coroner screwed up? Good... See the M.E.'s office pay out 100 million or whatever ...turned back to mandatory training time paid for everyone working in whatever area screwed things up (if that were the weak link for a breakdown, for instance). Make these suits meaningful, not just profitable.

It's the pure unmitigated payday aspect I can never really be sure isn't a factor and perhaps a major one in too many cases.