Top 10 Bizarre Elements Of The Elisa Lam Case On February 9, 2013, the body of 21-year-old Canadian student Elisa Lam was discovered at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Her death, while tragic, was not entirely shocking, as she had been missing for two weeks. The circumstances surrounding her death, however, continue to leave us feeling baffled and, to be honest, a little freaked out. The Elisa Lam story starts in one of the most violent and dangerous places in the United States: LA’s infamous drug- and crime-infested Skid Row. The crime scene? The cursed Cecil Hotel (affectionately called “The Suicide” by its long-term residents). Also known as Stay on Main, Skid Row’s budget hotel has served as a temporary residence for homeless people, prostitutes, and drug addicts who needed a place to stay.