Los Angeles, CA – Residents of the Los Angeles Cecil Hotel were shocked when told by police that the body of a young woman was found in one of the hotel’s water tanks.
Police believe that victim is Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian woman who was reported missing under suspicious circumstances while staying at the hotel late last month.
Elisa Lam from Vancouver, British Columbia was last seen on January 31 while visiting Southern California by herself. The police department observed surveillance video from a hotel elevator that showed the young woman acting odd, at one point even hiding in a corner and cautiously looking through the elevator doors.
Yahoo! News reports that the woman’s body was found inside one of the hotel’s four rooftop water tanks during the early morning hours of Tuesday. The hotel had reports of low water pressure and sent a maintenance technician to determine the issue.
A news helicopter caught firefighters tearing into the water tank with the victim inside.
According to the Los Angeles Times , Lam’s reasons for traveling to the state are still unclear, but they believe that her final destination was going to be Santa Cruz.
A 32-year resident of the building, Bernard Diaz, reported hearing a commotion the night prior to her disappearance.
Diaz also reported flooding the following day on the floor the young woman went missing from.
The body found hasn’t yet been identified, according to police. The Los Angeles County coroner’s office will make the final identification.
