Constructed in 1927, when the neighborhood was in much better shape, Stay on Main/Hotel Cecil has a long and gruesome past.
In 1962, 27-year-old Pauline Otton, suicidal following an argument with her husband, threw herself from her window. Otton got her death, but so did an unlucky pedestrian after she landed on him.
In 1964, guest Goldie Osgood was both strangled and stabbed (in addition to being robbed and raped). Her murder is still unsolved.
Serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka "The Night Stalker") lived in the Cecil in 1984-85, during which time he murdered 13 women. Not to be outdone, copycat killer Jack Unterweger moved into the Cecil in 1991, prior to murdering 3 women.
On January 26, 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a Canadian student, checked into the hotel. She was visiting various cities along the West Coast, and planned to spend five days in L.A. before continuing to San Diego. She called her parents daily, but on the day she was supposed to leave L.A., no phone call came. Her parents promptly contacted the Los Angeles police and flew to the city to search for their daughter. The search was extensive and fruitless, until guests of the hotel began complaining of low water pressure and an odd taste to the tap water. On February 19, one of the water tanks on the roof of the hotel was opened, and found to contain Lam's naked body. The autopsy concluded that death was due to accidental drowning.
Questions surround her mysterious death. How did she access the roof, when the doors were locked and protected by an alarm? Why would she want to climb into one of the water tanks in the first place? Assuming that she climbed into it herself, how did she lift the heavy lid? Why was she naked, with her clothes in the tank with her? Why did police dogs, which were brought to the roof, fail to find her scent?
Furthermore, what caused Lam's bizarre behavior in the hotel elevator on the day after she had intended to check out of the Cecil and depart for San Diego? Video footage (released on February 14) shows Lam entering the elevator, making odd gestures, leaving the elevator, and re-entering it. However, the doors remain open for much longer than the usual time. Was someone outside the elevator, and outside the field of view of the elevator camera, pressing the button? Was Lam interacting with this person? The video is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQcTuTXpj3c
This blog post differs from the others in that the hotel doesn't abound with ghost stories - but it is, by all accounts, a creepy place to stay.
In 1962, 27-year-old Pauline Otton, suicidal following an argument with her husband, threw herself from her window. Otton got her death, but so did an unlucky pedestrian after she landed on him.
In 1964, guest Goldie Osgood was both strangled and stabbed (in addition to being robbed and raped). Her murder is still unsolved.
Serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka "The Night Stalker") lived in the Cecil in 1984-85, during which time he murdered 13 women. Not to be outdone, copycat killer Jack Unterweger moved into the Cecil in 1991, prior to murdering 3 women.
On January 26, 2013, 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a Canadian student, checked into the hotel. She was visiting various cities along the West Coast, and planned to spend five days in L.A. before continuing to San Diego. She called her parents daily, but on the day she was supposed to leave L.A., no phone call came. Her parents promptly contacted the Los Angeles police and flew to the city to search for their daughter. The search was extensive and fruitless, until guests of the hotel began complaining of low water pressure and an odd taste to the tap water. On February 19, one of the water tanks on the roof of the hotel was opened, and found to contain Lam's naked body. The autopsy concluded that death was due to accidental drowning.
Questions surround her mysterious death. How did she access the roof, when the doors were locked and protected by an alarm? Why would she want to climb into one of the water tanks in the first place? Assuming that she climbed into it herself, how did she lift the heavy lid? Why was she naked, with her clothes in the tank with her? Why did police dogs, which were brought to the roof, fail to find her scent?
Furthermore, what caused Lam's bizarre behavior in the hotel elevator on the day after she had intended to check out of the Cecil and depart for San Diego? Video footage (released on February 14) shows Lam entering the elevator, making odd gestures, leaving the elevator, and re-entering it. However, the doors remain open for much longer than the usual time. Was someone outside the elevator, and outside the field of view of the elevator camera, pressing the button? Was Lam interacting with this person? The video is available on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQcTuTXpj3c
This blog post differs from the others in that the hotel doesn't abound with ghost stories - but it is, by all accounts, a creepy place to stay.
