Released on Netflix last month, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel explores the 2013 disappearance of Elisa Lam. Lam was a 21-year-old Canadian student who went missing while staying at the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles. 19 days later, her body was discovered in a water tank on the hotel’s roof.
The four-part series has a lot of material to work with. Not only does it examine the circumstances surrounding Lam’s disappearance and possible explanations for her death, The Vanishing also attempts to build a picture of the backdrop against which these events took place.
Many of these tangents are fascinating; the Cecil Hotel’s links to various serial killers, the correlation with the socioeconomic history of the nearby Skid Row, the hotel’s rebranding of its upper floors to the ‘Stay on Main’ to attract tourists. However, the reality of Lam’s case becomes overwhelmed with these ultimately superfluous details and the series feels long-winded and drawn-out. Apparent credibility is given to all kinds of baseless conspiracy theories, only to dismiss them later on.
Sensationalist conspiracy theories
“With events being so sensationalised, The Vanishing seems to contradict its own most important message.”
With a characterisation of the Cecil Hotel as ‘haunted’, The Vanishing dissects the famous video of Lam in the hotel’s elevator. As the elevator remains static, Lam appears to be speaking to someone, moving strangely and jumping in and out of the doors. Considering the amount of time spent exploring potential causes of this unusual scene, the eventual debunking of each feels anticlimactic. We wonder whether she was under the influence recreational drugs, prompted by the description of drug use around Skid Row and excerpts from Lam’s own Tumblr posts, only to learn there were no traces found in her system. We question why the elevator didn’t move (was some unseen person holding it open outside? Or was the elevator haunted?) only to be shown Lam clearly pressing the ‘door hold’ button.
With events being so sensationalised, The Vanishing seems to contradict its own most important message.
‘Prime Suspect’
As the series progresses, focus falls on the self-proclaimed web-sleuths who became obsessed with solving the case, trawling Lam’s Tumblr for clues and tirelessly analysing CCTV footage. Some even went to stay at the Cecil Hotel to explore the roof on which she was found. We learn that these internet users settled on a death metal artist, Morbid, as the ‘prime suspect’ for Lam’s killer. Despite having only very tenuous links to the case (the most credible being that he stayed at the Cecil Hotel over a year before Lam went missing), he was bullied online for his non-existent involvement to the point suicidal ideation. As it wraps up, The Vanishing becomes a cautionary tale, highlighting the dangers and the ethical implications of treating true crime like a murder mystery dinner party.
Using a variety of circumstantial evidence, The Vanishing ultimately concludes Lam’s struggles with her mental health were responsible for the ‘tragic accident’. I appreciate the use of Elisa Lam’s Tumblr posts to allow Lam to reclaim her voice amongst the frenzy, but I feel that we don’t really get to know her beyond her struggles with her mental health.
A credible source?
Instead, sensationalism took centre stage. This is most clearly evident in an interview with one couple who were staying at the Cecil Hotel when Lam’s body was found. Their descriptions of the water’s odd taste and colouring feel gratuitous, almost lurid.
Despite warning us against it, The Vanishing ultimately fails to move away from this sensationalism. Once again, the victim becomes overshadowed by the story.
Tegan McN
Featured image courtesy of Setyaki Irham on Unsplash. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to the image.
Elisa Lam’s old Formspring page has been resurrected –
http://elisa-lam-formspring-archive.blogspot.com