[music]
[Jennifer] February 19, 2013.
An infamous building
is thrust back into
when one of its guests
inside the elevator
[music]
[Jennifer] A mystery made
when the body of
missing guest
Inside the hotel's rooftop
The Cecil is one of the darkest
[Jennifer] Tragic accident?
Or is this death just
in the Cecil Hotel's
of bizarre and violent events?
[Craig] The Cecil has
for being a haunted hotel.
[Jennifer] Is it possible that
contributed to the death
and so many other guests?
I would be shocked if the Cecil
that's sparking some kind
[Edward] When we checked in,
to get a little eerie.
[music]
[Patti] It is a hotbed.
Or is its unnerving pattern
just a case of
My name's Jennifer Marshall.
After serving in
I began a career
Now, I'm decoding the mysteries
and allegedly evil past
The city of angels' very own
[music]
[Jennifer] Even for
for bizarre events,
the first time many of us
was in news reports on a young
Whose mysterious death became
This story is shocking,
unbelievable circumstance
All against the backdrop
that has
And according to many,
Among those seeking answers
is TV news journalist,
a local news anchor in Texas.
She's also pursued
reporting stories with
[music]
[Jennifer] Okay,
So, I really want you to have a
It has so much
And some people even claim
some dark energy vortex.
I'm a journalist
I've had three paranormal
I love to listen to people.
I love to show them that there's
This hotel was built
it's super beautiful,
And then...
Things start happening there.
A man was found
and he had poisoned himself.
[music]
A lot of other tragedies
People falling out
throwing themselves out.
Fast forward,
was reportedly last seen there
before she was
Even serial killers,
stayed at this hotel
And then, one of the most famous
Elisa Lam.
A 21 year old Canadian student
who traveled to the states
to explore and have
[Jennifer] It was her death
that once again thrust the hotel
for all the wrong reasons.
[Ozzy] The last video of her
in the Cecil Hotel.
[Jennifer] Yeah.
and there are hundreds
out there about this.
Elisa's death was ruled
And this has been a closed case
Official investigations
paranormal forces played a part
I think it's at least
why all these things
at this particular hotel.
Maybe work our way backward,
and see if there's any
as to why this place seems to
[music]
[Jennifer] The Cecil Hotel
And its owners do not allow
It was rebranded as a youth
which comprised of floors four,
It offered a younger,
and budget-friendly alternative
This is where Elisa Lam
And in the aftermath
the hotel was overrun
eager to explore
Their posts on social media
make the Cecil
So, what's your guys'
[Man] It's creepy as hell.
[Man] It's actually
[Man] Smells like
[music]
[Man] People were screaming.
The buildings actually
[music]
[Jennifer] The faded
echoes another iconic dwelling.
The Stanley Hotel
which served as the inspiration
[music]
[Jennifer] Back in
America's first
H.H. Holmes,
inside his
He fitted it with trapdoors,
and even built a crematorium
Can a place attract evil,
Many believe that some
attracts an evil clientele,
and victimizes innocent guests.
Though I'm a little
there may be something
But we need to find
[music]
[Jennifer] And ideally,
[music]
While Ozzy researches
I'm meeting psychic
who has spent her life
this kind of phenomenon
The second I walked through
it was almost a heartbeat
like the walls were
And this desperation
The emotion of it,
everything got, like,
Like you were underwater.
And you start going into
like when you're on
It is so thick in there.
Honestly, I think the Cecil
I have ever been.
It's like an oven that just
it starts getting you
Do you think the reason that
both murderers and people who
Jumping out of the window,
Is it the same force that draws
Yes, once you have
it's like a beacon,
There's a lot of energy there,
I think it comes up
whether it's a fault line, or an
there's stuff from the land.
Los Angeles is filled
with vortexes going through
and they probably start
Each area has its own feel,
and I think it's
Which in itself,
And energy could have created
say, next door.
How it got started,
and so many people
it created something
Now talking about
when you visited,
to any locations specifically?
Yes, I was drawn to
I got in the elevator,
"Ooh yeah,
And the first room I went to,
And I was like,
I gotta get outta here."
[Jennifer] Some people are
is a vortex of evil.
I a hundred percent believe
Again, coming up from the
Everything that happened in it,
every person that's
It is a hotbed.
[music]
[Jennifer] In decoding
of the Cecil Hotel,
we're investigating how this
morphed into a place
Hell on Earth.
[music]
[Jennifer] I think given the
next to Skid Row,
it is a socioeconomically
It's difficult.
you know,
but they might be struggling
And it is easy
when you're in that scenario.
This was the scene
when she checked into
on January 28, 2013.
Her own observations
I wanted to show you something.
So, Elisa kept a diary
[Ozzy] I've actually
and it says so much about her.
What she was into,
photography,
[Jennifer] These entries tell us
let me read to you one.
"January 29th.
Arrived in La La Land...
And there is a monstrosity
When I say monstrosity,
I'm saying as in gaudy.
But then again,
hence the Art Deco theme.
So, yes, it is classy,
but then, since it's LA,
It's been suggested that
in a water tank
was spurred by a demonic force
The proponents of this theory
say watch the elevator
[Jennifer] Elisa Lam case...
[Ozzy] You can see here,
types of numbers.
[music]
And it looks like here,
she's definitely hiding
And the thought process
because if I'm hiding
I wouldn't wanna go into
where I couldn't escape.
And it seems like
she's kind of playing a game.
There's something
You know, I have to wonder.
Is it possible that she
Had hallucinations?
[Ozzy] She was diagnosed
-[Jennifer] Right.
she's seeing something else
[music]
What I'm feeling
she definitely was experiencing
Very odd. It definitely looks
[Jennifer] On a technical note,
in the video
The timecode is blurred out.
There's at least one cut
You can tell this because
makes a jump in the video.
How much of the security footage
And why?
In order to determine
played any part
we need to separate the truth
Journalist Hadley Meares
has researched the history
and the Cecil Hotel, and
It's a natural human want
to believe that
is making these
And that humans aren't
Los Angeles has always been
and it's always been a place
shadows in the land
And you had a lot of people
who wanted to change themselves
And sometimes they came here
And when they came here
a lot of the times
under an assumed name,
and jump out the window.
[music]
[Hadley] There's one
of a woman jumping out of
and she fell onto
And it's said they had
from the marquee.
And this was in front of
during the day.
Were they all ruled
[Hadley] Most of the deaths
were ruled as suicide,
but also probably a lot
and the like here.
And there's at least
which is the 1960s murder
called Goldie Osgood.
What about murderers
Murderers were attracted
like a moth to the flame.
And probably one of
is the infamous night stalker
And Ramirez lived
during his active killing spree
In an really shocking twist,
Ramirez became
for an Austrian journalist named
He chose to stay
because he was a fan of Ramirez.
While in LA, the Austrian
by strangling them
tied with his signature knot.
Some say the Cecil
attracting guests as tainted
So, it has a really,
of a lot of terrible things
within these walls.
This is a place of
and the LAPD were often called
Maybe they're scared, too?
Maybe they're scared of
We don't really know.
[Jennifer] What drew this
over the Cecil Hotel?
Desperation?
Or did a vortex of dark energy
[music]
[Jennifer] The Cecil Hotel
is forever haunted by
dating back to the 1930s.
Elisa Lam was one of
who checked in,
After going missing
her body was found
on the hotel's rooftop.
The 2013 case became
when footage surfaced of her
in the hotel's elevator.
[music]
[Ozzy] A lot of people
that she was playing
The elevator game takes you
You know, what's interesting
also has eerie echoes
entertainment culture
Have you ever heard of
I have, I've never seen it.
[Ozzy] It's an American remake
The plot involves a young girl,
just like the Cecil Hotel.
Super creepy.
There's a malfunctioning
and ominous dark water
the apartment building.
But for the guests who stayed
when Elisa Lam vanished,
it was the taste of the dark
[Reporter] Some hotel guests
Wouldn't you be?
If there was, was,
that you were using
What makes me believe that
that ties all of these
[music]
There's been a lot
that Elisa Lam was playing
as the Korean elevator game.
So, we brought in paranormal
to tell us more about the game
So, the elevator game
And it originated from
No one's really sure when
but it's been around
and people all over the world
If you follow the very
then it's said you can
to a another dimension.
What are those rules?
If you enter the elevator
you're supposed to
in a very specific sequence.
And then once you've
you are in another dimension.
[Jennifer] So, imagine I was
what's the sequence
and why is that important?
[Sapphire] When you
the very first button you're
So, you wait for the lift
and you wait for
You have to make sure
because if anybody joins you,
then the game is ruined
So, after four,
Two, then six.
Six, two, two, ten,
And then five is when it gets
'cause that's when they say
that a woman might enter
and if she does,
a totally different dimension.
A woman might enter
Now, do you know anyone
Have you played yourself?
I have not played
but I've seen a lot of videos
And actually, they say that
you can become disoriented.
Some people faint.
[Jennifer] I have to think if
I was in a position where
and I didn't necessarily know
I can certainly see how somebody
and it could induce that terror.
Well, I'd actually like
[music]
I'm just not seeing
I'm seeing her kind of
So, people who have
or claim that they've
they say that when you're there
you feel very disoriented,
and that the air
So, maybe she's acting this way
because she's trying to
through the very
In this game, you also have to
Because if you don't,
[music]
[Jennifer] My research has led
at the Cecil Hotel.
Death metal musician,
I'm curious and excited
and learn more about his own
in the hotel.
Morbid, you stayed at the Cecil
and were later
in the disappearance
How did all of that
Just one day,
posts with my pictures.
With my videos, and somebody,
It, it happened so quick,
Just escalated, and things
and out of control
I was blamed just because
'cause the kind of
While I play black metal,
I couldn't even kill
You know?
So, that's something that's
There's nothing
Thinking back at your stay
what was it like when you went
I could definitely feel
On the elevator, like,
Strange place.
Do you believe that
are just drawn to the energy
Yeah, I believe so.
connected to
Do you believe that
could possibly be some sort of
[Morbid] It attracts just
and from all the places,
that's just, like,
it's very inherent, like,
To see if the Cecil's past
we're meeting historian
who's investigated
surrounding many
Numerous people have suffered
including college student
Is it the building itself that
and untimely demise?
Now, Craig, you're a historian.
But you also take into account
of the places you visit.
[Craig] Exactly.
and use history
I'm trying to separate
or urban legends
Was there a specific reason
at that particular location?
[Craig] One of the main reasons
the Pacific Electric railway
which was a block away.
And at that time,
were coming into Los Angeles.
So, they built this big
and it was a no-brainer
that people would
And so, that almost ensured
[Ozzy] So when did the hotel
these bizarre deaths?
[Craig] The first suicide
actually took place
And it was a man named
And he was a fairly
He wrote a suicide note,
[gunshot]
If there's any kind
which I personally believe
it did start happening
[music]
[Craig] The Cecil has
for being a haunted hotel.
[music]
[Jennifer] The Cecil Hotel
has been touted as
because of the unnerving
and tragedy which have
[Ozzy] Is it tied to paranormal
[Jennifer] Journalist
are investigating
and attempting to find out
which has led it to be dubbed
[police sirens]
[Ozzy] Do you think
draws people because of
that have happened there?
the Cecil Hotel is creating
Well, they named the Cecil
That was even before
They were trying to rebrand it.
The Cecil never recovered
Ever, and it just got worse.
The early '30s suicides
gunshot wounds, pills...
And it seems to me that
a series of people to
[Ozzy] A lot of people, when
they feel overwhelmed.
Do you feel that
has some sort of dark energy
that makes these people
[Craig] It seems impossible
considering the history
that were either suicide,
What is your final take
this property has
Well, there's definitely
that's bringing people
And that's kind of what
from the other hotels.
It's like a domino effect.
It just seems to keep...
The negative narrative going.
[music]
[Jennifer] Ozzy and I
two of the last people
at LA's renowned
Were you here the day
Yes, ma'am, I was.
At the time, I was actually
She was conversating
at the time,
[Jennifer] How did you
Did she initiate
Did she ask for help?
She did.
I'd seen her interacting
and by the time
she was coming up
to ask questions.
So, did the questions seem
Or did it seem like
and trying to start
A little bit of both.
She was asking about
because she was buying
But she was also asking
a lot more personal.
[Jennifer] So, Elisa
that you would remember her
if not over a hundred customers
[Katie] She kind of stood out
[music]
[Ozzy] What do you
Did you find anything
or anything odd when she
Not at all.
and she's just looking around
I remember she wanted to go to
She even asked what was
'cause, you know,
[Jennifer] Now,
when the police contacted you.
-It was within a week...
Of her disappearance
Her parents hadn't
and they contacted LAPD.
And in searching
they had found
she had bought at the store,
and they were able to
that this was the last place
that they could guarantee
Did you have an inkling
or what had happened?
Not really.
I had no idea whether or not
but having her disappear
and not be heard from
seemed like something
And then, shortly after that,
the video of her
[music]
[Jennifer] Are you absolutely
-and left alone?
A lot of our conversation
intending to go home.
And she was talking about items
She seemed to have
That aspect of someone
wasn't present in
that we had, had with her.
[Jennifer] Over the last
and it seems that this case,
It's on social media.
Is it still on your mind,
Yeah.
It, it is.
Fairly often.
[Jennifer] Regardless of how
enshrouded in darkness,
there's no denying
elicits terror in its guests.
Jackie and Edward Dixon
before the Elisa Lam incident
made the Cecil synonymous
The building is massive, right?
"Well, okay, the sign looks
But that's okay, it's older.
We walk in, and the lobby is,
It's like Old Hollywood,
There's nobody there,
one front desk person.
"Well, you know,
So, this is gonna be
So, did you know about
-before you went there?
We just booked it last minute.
[Edward] It was just
We were going to a festival,
hanging out
Once we, you know,
got in the elevator, and started
that's kinda when things kinda
You know, it had a weird,
-And not a good one.
[Edward] We found out we had
but as it turns out,
any other guests
[Jackie] How can you be
you don't see a single person
other than the
Then we go to our room,
it looks like there was,
The anxiety came in
I had to go to the bathroom.
And I had to walk down the hall.
So, he's like, "You're not going
So, he had to escort me
It's the longest walk
Just because it's,
And I'm not one to get scared,
but there's like, a feeling when
Have you ever experienced
[Jackie] Well, see,
We've been to Europe, we've
much older than this.
We've even been to
where people have been tortured,
All you felt was history.
You feel something.
[Edward] It was definitely
I've ever stayed.
[Jennifer] And y'all have never
before you stayed there,
[Jackie] No.
As scared or fearful
than I did at that visit.
I felt like I was in
And it's got 600 rooms,
although I can hear
[music]
[Jackie] Whether or not
or if they were ghosts,
[music]
[Jennifer] Many LA buildings
Eerie stand-ins for what
on the roof
People keep going back to
And Ozzy has long been convinced
that there's
behind the hotel's death count.
That it's the incarnation
of a classic haunted
While I connect
she's meeting with
Greg Kading, who was
to learn more.
[Ozzy] Detective,
the Cecil Hotel has.
I do. Anybody who's worked
especially in law enforcement,
is familiar with
It's got a kind of unique
In 2013, LAPD released
of Elisa Lam inside
It was very disturbing.
Did the police pursue that she
-talking to someone else?
that's what the missing
They're trying to make sense
[music]
[Greg] Like, why is she
So, they wanna know.
Was she talking to somebody?
Was she having a confrontation
Is she waiting for a friend?
And all those things are,
through a process
Hopefully answered through
One of the parts that
is the fact that the timecode,
it's, it's blurred.
[Greg] Yeah, which from
you would do that intentionally.
And one of the reasons
that you're not releasing
that a potential suspect
So, if you get rid of the time,
and you're questioning
you wanna make sure times
-what they're saying.
there's a couple of edits,
it looks like it speeds up.
[Greg] Yes, 'cause they'll take
of the video is that they
and they take that down
And then reformat it.
And then when you
again, you just give
for the public to help you,
but you don't give
[music]
[Jennifer] Critics claiming the
focus on the findings of
Among its apparent
is the cause of death
"could not be determined"
Thank you so much
Dr. Nadia Nashi has agreed
a pathologist's perspective,
to analyze what
When you went though
was there anything
that would suggest
I did not see any evidence
No external injuries,
Her being unconscious
is also unlikely,
because if you drop somebody
into an eight feet tank,
then they'll probably
And her hitting her head from,
an eight feet height,
we will see evidence
And the autopsy report
didn't find any evidence
hemorrhage
Many people have questioned
the autopsy report said
and later it was marked
Is that unusual?
[Dr. Nashi] No. The marking
Given her anatomical summary,
you can't really determine
'cause there was, you know,
But really, the key
was the toxicology report
[music]
Walk me through the second time
to come back to
[Greg] In this situation,
Detectives had gone
They had information that people
to look at the stars,
and to hang out
[Ozzy] But we're told that
[Greg] Well, of course,
would want to lead you
Because there's
When the dogs were
why didn't they
She's submerged in water.
And we find out later that
submerged in water,
that would have
was all at the bottom
Everything's kind of
and it's an outdoor environment
Unfortunately, the thought
to check the water tanks.
[music]
I appreciated hearing
a homicide detective's
But he didn't convince me
was not involved.
[music]
Was there any evidence
under the influence of drugs?
Whether prescription,
There's no evidence indicating
of any recreational drugs.
Bipolar with psychotic features
requires a mood stabilizer,
which was on her prescription
but it was not found in
Which means that she was not
And also, she was on
which is like,
That medication also
in her blood at the time
[music]
[Jennifer] The Cecil Hotel
of what's known as
The area can be
But a hotel as some sort
seems a stretch.
To thoroughly test
I'm meeting up with
who has agreed to bring
in her work as a psychic
to test the area
Okay.
[music]
Even being out here,
[Patti] I definitely
It starts out in my gut.
[Jennifer] So, Patti, how would
to test to see
I cannot control these at all.
For divination purposes,
they literally cross on yes
Like, we are standing at
Yes, we are.
We are at the Eiffel Tower
No, we're not.
Where is the vortex here?
[Jennifer] The Cecil, not me.
It's pointing right past you,
Point to the energy of the main
[music]
It's right there.
Are there spirits here?
Yes.
Are there stuck spirits here?
Yes.
Is the spirit
I felt her so strong.
[music]
[Jennifer] It's been suggested
in a water tank atop
was spurred by a demonic force
To explore this theory,
I've elicited the help
who claims she encountered
when she visited
[Patti] This is
which has words in it,
Anybody who wants to speak,
there's programmed words
Is there somebody here
[music]
[Jennifer] I think a place
that has so much
[static]
-[Patti] That was weird.
[Patti] Yeah, speaking of,
I'm more inclined to believe
than, let's say, in
[Patti] Yes,
And, and, again,
humans are humans,
if you can go someplace
And they're hanging
[Ovilus] Jenny.
Jenny?
Do they,
-Yes.
[music]
[Jennifer] Working with Patti
I did keep hearing
were very clear words
There was some counting, there
So, although I cannot
prove any of these things,
it was interesting
I can't wait
and see what we can put together
[music]
[Jennifer] I think we both agree
-and macabre place.
And I think that's
'cause you floated the idea
"Could this place possibly be
for dark energy?"
-Right?
And first, I think it's
that Elisa Lam's death was not
to foul play.
We've seen how an imbalance
triggered a psychotic episode.
And sadly, she likely climbed up
and got into that tank
Once inside,
and she died of hypothermia.
[Ozzy] Even if you
why did she go up there?
I mean, who goes up
and just gets into
I mean, it just doesn't
[Jennifer] Her behavior
being off her meds.
She's in the elevator,
she's trying to get away.
So, why wouldn't she
If she goes up on the roof,
something or someone
it makes perfect sense that she
Because for her
that is a hiding place.
That is a safe place.
[Ozzy] I totally get
But the hotel has
There's been multiple suicides.
I mean, we just can't
Serial killers have even
I just can't write off that the
But I see its history
the disintegrating neighborhood
It was one of the least
to stay downtown, so it did
who were either
desperate, or trying to
It was a magnet
because Skid Row was
Richard Ramirez was
before he checked into
It wasn't the hotel
But the hotel certainly helped
Something you wanna say?
[Jennifer] And Patti,
and felt the heavy energy...
But while interesting,
the evidence I'm
I am not doubting that
or experienced something.
But the neighborhood's unsafe,
I'm not gonna go out
it was some sort of
or that it's some sort
Think about it. The Cecil was
to do something
do something to others,
and for the most part,
And sometimes,
some innocent people
[music]