Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - HORROR HOTEL: "WE TASTED BLOOD IN WATER" AT CECIL HOTEL, ELISA'S BODY IN WATER TANK

Starting point is 00:00:00 This is an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A horror hotel. Guests say we tasted blood in the water at the Cecil Hotel just before Elisa's body found floating in the hotel water tank? I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us. Elisa Lamb is a 21-year-old university student from British Columbia on a solo trip to California, starting in San Diego and ending in Santa Cruz. She's made it to the City of Stars, writing in her blog, I have arrived in La La Land.

Starting point is 00:00:54 What do you think people imagine when they picture the Cecil Hotel? Is there a room here that maybe somebody hasn't died in? I never got used to that. Never got used to that. Throughout its history, the Hotel Cecil has always had a dark persona. People call it Hotel Death. This was a place where serial killers let their hair down, like Richard Ramirez, who had come back covered in blood,

Starting point is 00:01:25 and no one's got a problem with that. That was from our friends over at Netflix. It's Crime Scene, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. But let me assure everyone, this is no ghost story. There is nothing supernatural about Alyssa's death. There is a logical conclusion for this beautiful young girl's death. And I intend to find it. I'm not blaming it on a haunting or some phantom. She was killed, but how? Nonetheless, listen to this. the elevator. That's where the case starts to go askew. She kept looking outside the door. Why is

Starting point is 00:02:26 the elevator not going anywhere? Is someone keeping her here? Her hand movements are very strange and erratic. Like she's conjuring a spirit. It makes people wonder, is there something evil going on here? Well, that's all well and good for Netflix to say in crime scene, the vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. It looks to me like she's hiding from someone, someone very much alive in that elevator. The last known surveillance video of Elisa. What happened to Elisa? Joining me, an all-star panel to make sense of what we know right now. But to Kelly Hyman joining us, veteran trial lawyer, TV legal analyst and host of Once Upon a Crime in Hollywood. Why is it, Kelly, that people in that jurisdiction

Starting point is 00:03:15 would rather believe in a supernatural haunting than a plain and simple murder? People want to figure out why something happened. This case has so many layers to it. Here we have this hotel where death occurs in the hotel. This young, beautiful girl dies in the hotel, is found in the water tank, and still no one knows how she was put there, how she was killed. It's important to know, Nancy, as you know, that there is no statute of limitations on murder. So whoever did this should be accountable for their actions. But people want to try and figure out what happened. Why did she die? If someone didn't kill her, what exactly occurred? You know, to Karen Stark, following up on what trial lawyer

Starting point is 00:04:03 Kelly Hyman is saying, Karen Stark is with us, renowned psychologist, TV radio trauma expert. You can find her at karenstark.com. That's Karen with a C if you're looking for her online. Karen, why do people want to believe there was a supernatural haunting that a phantom has something to do with this girl's death? It didn't. Don't you jump on the bandwagon and tune up about a ghost. Did you see her in that elevator? She looks like she's hiding from someone. Why does everyone want to assume it's a ghost? Well, because that's much more exciting, Nancy. The idea that this is a hotel that's haunted and has phantoms and, you know, people really enjoy looking at the supernatural or the

Starting point is 00:04:47 idea that there are forces we don't know about. And yet what you said is absolutely true. You see her being terrified, raising her hands. It does seem like someone is after her. It has nothing to do with a ghost. It has much more to do with who was there, who don't we know about, how in the world did this happen? There you see her hiding back in the corner of the elevator, that last known surveillance video of her. At the beginning, it looked like, I couldn't tell, was she punching a floor or some other button? Looking both ways, at one point gesticulating. What happened to this 22-year-old girl? As a matter of fact, who is she? Listen. Elisa Lam is a 21-year-old student at the University of British Columbia. She's an avid blogger, active on the popular social site Tumblr

Starting point is 00:05:38 under the pen name Nouvelle Nouveau. There she posts a mix of chic and trending fashion photos, quotes strewn with bits and pieces of her personal life, including her upcoming solo trip to California. And she was excited about the trip. Listen. Elisa Lam embarks on a solo trip to California despite her parents' protest. She reassures them with the promise of daily check-ins by phone. Her first stop is the San Diego Zoo before arriving in LA on January 26th. She posts on her Tumblr blog, I have arrived in La La Land. She checks into the Cecil Hotel in

Starting point is 00:06:13 downtown LA in an area known as Skid Row with the plan to stay in her shared hostel-style suite for a total of four days and three nights. Joining me in addition to Hadley Mears, investigative journalist, Mike McCormick is with us, owner and lead investigator of MCM Investigations, former LAPD, Los Angeles Police Department, over 25 years. And you can find it at mcminvestigations.com. Well, Mike, having been in LA for 25 years, I guess you've seen it all or have you? I don't get why people want to blame her death on a ghost. To get up into that water tank, you had to go through all sorts of security hoops. And she would not have had those codes and the wherewithal to do that. But let me ask you this, Mike McCormick. Why is it in your neck of the woods,

Starting point is 00:07:14 people would rather believe in a supernatural phantom as opposed to a cold-blooded killer. That theory just muddies the waters. I believe she was murdered. I believe she was taken up to the water tank and dumped into it. My question would be, why wasn't these water tanks locked down? They not only may have had access for her to be thrown in there, but somebody could go up there anytime and, you know, contaminate the water with poison. So this whole scenario does not make sense. And another thing to Mike McCormick, veteran investigator, former LAPD. She embarks on a solo trip to California. Now, one of the first things she did, and I can remember, Mike, when we were living in L.A. for

Starting point is 00:08:14 Dancing with the Stars. We lived there nearly a year. The children were about three years old. One of the first things we did was take the train from L.A. to San Diego to see the famed San Diego Zoo. And it was amazing. My point is, this does not sound like a girl that is entertaining thoughts of death in any way. She doesn't seem afraid for her life. She certainly was not suicidal. She's at the San Diego Zoo posting about it. No, she doesn't seem like she was depressed at all. She was having, appeared to be having a good time. Other than that video in the elevator, she's scared of something. You're absolutely right. They're at the so-called horror hotel, the Cecil. So what do we know happens next?

Starting point is 00:09:10 To Hadley Mears joining us, investigative journalist in this jurisdiction, L.A. Hadley, thanks so much for being with us. Why do people want very much to believe in a haunting at the Cecil Hotel as being responsible for this girl's death? That's total BS, technical legal term. Yes, well, I think the reason a lot of people want to believe in this kind of ghostly thing happening to Elisa, this great mystery, is because of the history of the Cecil Hotel. A lot of my work delves into the history and lore of lesser known places in Los Angeles. And in all of my years of journalism in LA, I have never come across a place with more documented suicides, deaths, infamous murders. We had two serial killers. And so this is a place that has been notorious for decades way before this tragedy

Starting point is 00:10:07 with Elisa Lam. I mean, residents would kind of morbidly, jokingly call it the suicide. So it's always had this very bad reputation. Then you have this beautiful, vibrant young girl disappear. The police release this mysterious video that does look strange and you're off to the races in internet culture today. And that seemed to take over the entire investigation. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. When did we first realize something was wrong? Listen. Elisa Lamb is supposed to end her stay at the Cecil Hotel on January 31st, but she never makes it to checkout. Her parents begin to worry as Elisa has failed to uphold her promise of daily check-ins. They contact the LAPD, and a search ensues for the young university student. Dogs search her room and the hotel rooftop, but Elisa is nowhere to be found.

Starting point is 00:11:14 You know, right there, Hadley Mears joining us, investigative journalist in L.A. I'm very curious. Dogs searched the roof. Now, I know that dogs hit on the fire escape area. So, that leads me to believe the dogs led police to the roof. Did they not see those water tanks up there? They did see the water tanks, and they do say that they very much regret not checking the water tanks because they did, in fact, search the roof. So, you know, it's tragic because she ends up being in there for much longer than she could have if the police had gone up to check the water tanks.

Starting point is 00:11:54 Now, the police dogs picked up on her scent at a window leading to a fire escape, not on the fire escape itself. So who dragged her body to the roof and put her in one of these cisterns? Look at how difficult it is to get in and out of the cistern. Could she have done that on her own? They've got a whole fleet of workers trying to look in there. So other than the reputation of the Cecil, nothing suggests she took her own life. What happened to Alyssa? As a matter of fact, one of the last people to see her alive and speak to her says she was very much vibrant, alive, excited, and looking forward. I want you to hear what she says. We would see hundreds, if not thousands of people a day. And the fact that she was so gregarious made it easy for me to remember

Starting point is 00:13:06 her and remember what our interaction was like she was asking a lot about like the weight of what she had and whether or not she would need to ship things home or if she could still like put it all in her suitcase I I could not at this point tell you any of the titles that she purchased. I do remember her buying a lot. It was like, you know, a banker's box worth of books and records. That's really important sound. And that comes from our friends at Fox 11 in LA. It's Katie Orphan, a bookstore owner. And to you, Karen Stark, renowned psychologist, it's classic, classic evidence that this young woman, just 22, was not planning to take her own life. She went and bought out the bookstore. She bought so many books that she was trying to figure out how to ship them home, whether they would all fit in her

Starting point is 00:14:05 suitcase. Did you hear that? And what does it tell you, Karen Stark? It tells me that she was enjoying her life. These books were supposed to be presents for her family. She was looking forward to the trip. And Nancy, there are alarms that go off if you try to get into those water tanks and you're on the roof. So it seems to me somebody must have known how to shut off the alarms. Because how would she know? Not one, more than one. And then get herself up there and lift the lid? That just seems inconceivable. She's a small girl.

Starting point is 00:14:42 She's 21 years old. So I also want to add that people love, as your question was before, ghost stories. Because if you think about sitting around a campsite and kids, and they are exciting, they make you have adrenaline, just like haunted houses. So they don't pay attention to the facts here, which is how in the world could she have done this? Joining me is renowned and esteemed medical examiner. She shot to the forefront of the nation's consciousness during the Alex Murdoch double murder trial. Joining me is Dr. Michelle Dupree, forensic pathologist, medical examiner, and lucky for me, former detective with the Lexington County Sheriff's Department. She is the author of Money, Mischief, and Murder, the Murdoch Dynasty,

Starting point is 00:15:31 the rest of the story. But for my purposes, she is the author of the Homicide Investigation Field Guide. Dr. Michelle Dupree, thank you for being with us. Another fact that really sticks out in my mind, Dr. Michelle, is that she was found naked. And you and I have discussed many, many times the assessment and method of homicide and suicide. It is extremely rare. I would venture to say almost non-existent for a female to commit suicide without any clothes on. Why? I'm not a shrink. I don't know, but I do know from a case I tried, Dr. Michelle Dupree, a case I tried, I'll never forget it. The district attorney called me over the loudspeaker. Nancy, come to my office. I literally ran to Mr. Slayton's office, and he wanted me to investigate and possibly prosecute a suicide. It had been billed a suicide. It wasn't a suicide, Dr. Dupree. And the moment I walked into the victim's home and found out she was lying in the bed, buck naked with the gunshot wound to the head, I'm like, no, that's not right. Help me out, Dr. Dupree. I know it

Starting point is 00:16:52 sounds anecdotal, but statistics verify what I'm saying. A woman does not commit suicide naked. Nancy, you're absolutely right. And the other things don't add up either. Everything that the other guests have said, you know, how did she get into the water tank? How did how did she even get upstairs? How did she get past the codes? All of that, you know. And as you know, drowning is a diagnosis of exclusion. And we don't really know why or how she died, as far as I know. But she couldn't have done this by herself. Nothing. Nothing indicates that this was a person with suicidal ideation. Elisa Lamb has

Starting point is 00:17:27 promised her parents a daily check-in by phone while on her solo trip to the Golden State. So the Lambs begin to worry when, on January 31st, Elisa fails to call either of them. What do you think people imagine when they picture the Cecil Hotel? Is there a room here that maybe somebody hasn't died in? I never got used to that. Never got used to that. Throughout its history, the Hotel Cecil

Starting point is 00:18:00 has always had a dark persona. People call it Hotel Death. This was a place where serial killers let their hair down, like Richard Ramirez, who had come back covered in blood, and no one's got a problem with that. As much as our friends at Netflix would like to advance the theory

Starting point is 00:18:20 that this is a supernatural phenomenon, it's not. She was killed. Elisa was killed. That was from our friends at Netflix, crime scene, the vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. No supernatural phantom had a hand in the death of this young girl. But I want to take a look at the surveillance video that catches her just before she's killed. The surveillance video released by the LAPD shows Elisa Lam entering the hotel elevator and crouching to press several buttons. She then backs into a corner, waiting before suddenly darting out of the elevator, swiveling her head urgently from side to side. At one point,

Starting point is 00:19:02 she steps completely out of the elevator, moving out of view for some time before returning and repeatedly pressing the elevator buttons. She steps out again, gesturing strangely to an unseen individual outside the elevator to her right, moving her arm in circles and flexing her wrists and fingers. The elevator door remains open this entire time. Finally, Elisa slides out of view into the hallway and the elevator door closes before opening and closing two more times with Elisa nowhere to be seen. Kelly Hyland joining us, veteran trial lawyer, TV legal analyst, and host of What's Upon a Crime in Hollywood. Kelly, of course, under the law, when you argue to a jury, you are not allowed to ask any juror to put themselves in the shoes of the victim. However, you can say things like, watch her on this elevator. She's clearly afraid of somebody. Don't even say something. Okay. I know your podcast is once upon a crime in Hollywood, but I am not buying into the LA

Starting point is 00:20:11 theory that a ghost did this. That said, you don't have to passage your are to say, is this how you would behave? You can say things like, is that normal? What do you think she's feeling right now? What do you think she's feeling right now? What do you think she's hiding from? Look at her. That's how you could argue that to a jury and not get an objection that would be sustained in front of the jury. You don't want that.

Starting point is 00:20:38 You do not want the other side's objections to be sustained. No. So you don't ever want to do anything evidentially wrong in front of a jury, but she's clearly, Kelly, afraid of something. What was her state of mind, Nancy? That is definitely key. So when we look at this video, we see her there and then all of a sudden she's hiding behind, like to hide herself so she can't be seen and then she is getting out of the elevator she's peeking out looking to see someone she's crotching down as well and making all types of hand gestures and then gets back in the elevator she looks around to see who's there

Starting point is 00:21:19 this looks like a woman who is afraid of whoever is about to come in the elevator. Karen Stark joining me as psychologist. Karen, I want to ask you a very specific question. For someone to have visual hallucination is rare, but even more rare, I believe, is auditory hearing some sort of a hallucination. You heard the bookstore owner describing her just before her death. She was perfectly in control of her faculties and trying to figure out how she could get all of these books shipped home. Very happy and very excited. I find that very hard to reconcile with her possibly having auditory or visual hallucinations.

Starting point is 00:22:08 I don't think she did. I mean, you have to look at the facts and the facts are a couple of hours before her death, she was perfectly sane. And she was perfectly sane throughout the trip and having a great time. Think about this as I'm watching. That elevator doesn't move. What's going on that the elevator stays open? And it looks like she's desperately trying to get it to close, go to a different floor. I don't know about an elevator that could stay that way unless somebody is really controlling the elevator and keeping it open. So something is really wrong with all of this, including, as I said before, the fact that the alarms weren't triggered when supposedly she put herself on the roof. I also want to address what you said earlier about women not killing themselves when they're nude, because the truth is women care about their appearance. And so in fact, they even put on makeup sometimes because they want to look good.

Starting point is 00:23:08 They do think about that. Statistically, we know it. Even though her parents were distraught, no one could find Elisa until guests began complaining at the Cecil Hotel. We noticed that the water pressure was very low. We turned the tap on. Why is the pressure blocked? Why is there no water pressure? And the water was quite discoloured. It was like a dark colour. It had like a brown tint to it. We were brushing our teeth using that water, we were showering in that water.

Starting point is 00:23:57 We did drink the water, but it did have a funny taste to it. From Netflix, crime scene, the vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, and more. The water pressure never got better. The receptionist told us that they will ask maintenance guys to come and get it looked at. There was a complaint about the water pressure, so I asked maintenance to check for possible

Starting point is 00:24:28 clogs, you know, see if everything's okay. From our friends at Netflix, crime scene, the vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. So not the police, but the maintenance guy after the guests complain about tainted water, find Alyssa. Now, who would think to bypass all of the security mechanisms, somehow extra human strength, lift the top and jump into it to be found naked. None of that makes sense. And plus, there's more about how her body was discovered, the condition in which it was discovered. Listen. Investigators believe Elisa Lam's body floated in the water tank for the 19 days she was missing, causing decomposition to progress much faster.

Starting point is 00:25:16 In the report, the medical examiner notes Elisa's face and abdomen are bloated, her skin is green and marbled, and there's skin slippage on her face, scalp and much of her upper body. The report even shows that Elisa had black mold growing on her back. Straight out to Dr. Michelle Dupree joining us, pathologist, medical examiner, detective and author. Dr. Dupree, I'm very curious about some type of sediment found on her body. Her skin is green and marbled. A sand-like residue is found all over her. Could you analyze what you've heard? Well, Nancy, that sounds like it's just because she was in the water for so long,

Starting point is 00:25:59 and I don't know the environment or temperature or anything like that, but it sounds like that is just a byproduct of decomposition from being in the water for such a long time. To Hadley Mears joining us, investigative journalist out of this jurisdiction, L.A., describe what you know about the sediment on her body. Well, I believe the sediment on her body probably came from her time in the water tank. That's something that happens, you know, in this really scary environment. So the sediment could have been from when she was going up and going on the roof and then her body's in that water for 19 days. So my opinion is that there's a very logical explanation for this tragedy.

Starting point is 00:26:45 Her death so far has been ruled officially as accidental. But the details leading up to this remain a mystery. Again, the way in which she's found does not in any way indicate suicide. There were no traces of alcohol or illegal drugs in her system. Her family says she was taking all of her routine meds. Back to you, Dr. Michelle Dupree. I still don't understand why your body, if you're in the water, has sediment attached to it. What sediment? Well, again, Nancy, we don't know exactly what the report means by sediment, but if we're in the water, our body does change chemically. It changes usually into something

Starting point is 00:27:31 we call saponification, which could by some people be described as sediment. But I think that whatever is on the body is probably a result from her being in the water for so long. Katie Orphan, manager of the Last Bookstore in downtown LA, is one of the last people to see and speak with Elisa Lam. She described Elisa as outgoing, lively, and very friendly. Elisa's parents report their daughter missing to LAPD, and a search ensues. But Elisa is nowhere to be found. That is, until guests at Elisa's hotel begin to report something murky in the water. What happened to Elisa?

Starting point is 00:28:14 Well, many people would have you believe that she is the murder victim of a ghost. Listen. What do you think people imagine when they picture the manager of the Cecil Hotel? Well, unfortunately, a lot of them were thinking there's some crazy, creepy person behind the scenes that just doesn't care and is running just this hotel where all these bad things happen and it's not true. But I would say there are a lot of like unique challenges when you are

Starting point is 00:28:48 running a hotel like the cecil a lot came with the place well you can't prosecute a hotel or its reputation that from crime scene the vanishing at the ceil Hotel on Netflix. Let's deal with reality and hard evidence. Listen. The mystery of how Elisa found her way into the water tank remains. The four hotel water tanks, each with a thousand gallon capacity, measure four by eight and require a ladder to access. Additionally, access to the hotel's roof is securely locked, only accessible with staff passcodes and keys. Any unauthorized use of the doors or stairs would trigger an alarm. Straight back out to a renowned investigator, owner of MCM Investigations, former LAPD, over 25 years, Mike McCormick. Mike, did you hear the security measures

Starting point is 00:29:46 in place to guard those cisterns from the residents, the guests at the Cecil? Four hotel water tanks, each with a 1,000 gallon capacity. They measure four by eight. No one can just fall in. You have to go up a ladder to access each one of them. This is important. The hotel's roof is securely locked, only accessible with staff passcodes and keys. Unauthorized use of doors or stairs triggers an alarm. In our New York apartment, you can't go up on the roof. It's impossible to get in unless you work there and you have passcodes and keys. Now, what does that tell you, Mike? Nancy, that tells me the alarm was disconnected. The law enforcement needs to look at previous staff members and the

Starting point is 00:30:52 current staff members that were at the hotel at the time. The fact that she went to the fire escape tells me that she was looking for an escape route and either couldn't make it all the way out of the fire escape and was forced back by somebody and from that point was murdered and taken up onto the roof and dumped into the water tank. And the law enforcement needs to look at the staff, previous staff that may have not been working there at the time and the current staff at the time. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Joining me right now is Matt Mangino, attorney, former felony prosecutor and author of The Executioner's Toll. Matt, thank you for being with us.

Starting point is 00:32:06 Everything McCormick just said makes perfect sense. What do you think? Well, it does make sense. And certainly if I were investigating this case, I'm looking on the inside immediately. If someone says that these alarms were set, that there was no way to get to the roof without triggering them, passcodes and keys, that I'm looking on the inside. I'm looking for someone who would have the ability to disconnect the alarm system and have keys to these areas. But the thing that I would want to know is how many keys are out there? I mean, this isn't the Waldorf Astoria.

Starting point is 00:32:43 This is the Cecil Hotel. It's run down. I mean, how many people have out there? I mean, this isn't the Waldorf Astoria. This is the Cecil Hotel. It's run down. I mean, how many people have worked there? When was the passcode last checked and inspected? You know, those are all things that I would want to know. It's easy to say, yeah, we have a passcode. Yeah, we have keys. Are they functional? How many are there? So I'm looking at a whole array of things if I'm investigating this case. To Dr. Michelle Dupree, pathologist, medical examiner, and detective, Dr. Dupree, even though her body had been in that cistern for a period of days, her skin had slippage, there was actually mold, black mold growing on her back. Could you tell if there were signs of, for instance, asphyxiation,

Starting point is 00:33:29 suffocation? Could you tell if she had been molested, if she had been raped, even though her body had been in the water? Nancy, it may be entirely possible. It really just depends on the circumstances. But we could certainly tell if she had been strangled, say, or if she had blunt force trauma or some other kind of trauma. Absolutely, we would be able to tell those things. But what about a rape kit? Would you still be able to obtain DNA? We would do a rape kit and hopefully we would be able to. But because of being in the water, I'd say there's probably a 50-50 chance. It's possible, it's really gonna just depend on the circumstances. Water is certainly going to dilute any DNA,

Starting point is 00:34:09 perhaps even wash it away, but there's always a chance, and we always take samples anyway, in the hopes that we do find it. In the autopsy, we learned her anus was prolapsed. Could that be a sign of sex assault? It could be, but chances are, it's simply part of the decomposition. Unless there was any trauma surrounding that, it's probably normal decomposition.

Starting point is 00:34:30 To Karen Stark, Karen, you heard all the security measures that were in place. The cisterns were very heavy to open. You had to have a passkey. You had to know secret codes within the hotel. The entire area was locked and sealed off for guests. You couldn't get up on the roof. But think about it, Karen Stark. If she wanted to kill herself by drowning, why not just use the bathtub? Why would she go through all of that, Nancy? That's the part that makes absolutely no sense.

Starting point is 00:35:04 She could kill herself in a bathtub. She could use a razor blade. We know that she wouldn't shoot herself because she's female, so that's unlikely. But there's so much that points to another person actually being there. As I said, if you really watch the elevator, how come the elevator's not moving? She's pressing all those keys over and over again. open the whole time. Then How would she lift the lid and actually take off her

Starting point is 00:35:35 up the ladder that throw water tank, lift the lid It's just, it's so improbable. There are so many easier ways to kill yourself. The Cecil Hotel, located in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, opened in 1924 and has since been plagued by a history of mysterious unnatural deaths and suicides alongside a dark roster of guests, most notably infamous serial killer Richard Ramirez, otherwise known as the Night Stalker, made the Cecil his temporary home in the early 80s during his killing spree. What happened to 22-year-old Alyssa Lamb? And I guarantee you it has nothing to do with a ghost.

Starting point is 00:36:19 Listen. It just blew up. In the web sleuth community, it created this feeding frenzy. If it's a murder, then you need a murderer. You really don't have the full story. She was running around trying to save her own life. Bad things keep happening here over and over again. This hotel was hiding something. I would have never thought what was about to happen could happen. This is the latest chapter in a dark history for the Cecil Hotel.

Starting point is 00:36:56 That from our friends at Netflix's crime scene, the vanishing at the Cecil Hotel. This would not be the first time there was an unexplained death. Does anyone recall the name Annie Lee? I do. Annie Lay leaves her apartment and using Yale Transit heads off to the Sterling Hall of Medicine. Around 10 a.m., Lay walks from Sterling Hall to another campus building where her research laboratory is located. Lay is seen on security footage entering the building, but is not seen leaving. At approximately 9 p.m. that night, Lay has not returned home.

Starting point is 00:37:30 One of her five housemates calls police to report her missing. Annie Lay was actually murdered by a colleague who had obsessed on her. Her body hidden in the wall. That's right. She was murdered. And then, of course, Shannon Graves, how does she end up in a freezer? Shannon Graves, a 28 year old woman from Ohio was found dead in a freezer in 2017. She had been missing for months when her dismembered remains were discovered in a friend's freezer. Investigators connected her death to an ex-boyfriend, Arturo Nevoa, who was later convicted of her murder. The case revealed a complex web of

Starting point is 00:38:12 deception, and Nevoa's attempts to hide the crime shocked the community. That's right. She didn't accidentally fall into a freezer, nor did she commit suicide by freezer. She was murdered. And of course, there's another water tank mystery, which to me is not mysterious at all. It's a murder. Listen. Geetha Angara of Chemist was found dead in a water tank in New Jersey. Geetha had gone to collect water samples when she disappeared. Her radio and a broken beaker were found in the tank with a nearby access panel slightly ajar and glass fragments on the floor. An autopsy revealed bruising on her neck and body suggesting a struggle, but the official cause of death was ruled a drowning and despite an investigation and several suspects, no arrests were ever made.

Starting point is 00:39:05 And the case remains unsolved. And of course, there is student Brian Schaefer who goes in a bar and never comes out. At 1.15 a.m., Schaefer, Florence and Reed head up the Gateway Building's escalator to the Ugly Tunip and partake in one more round of shots while listening to the band. The bar is closing and masses of patrons head down the escalator, but Florence and Reed can't find Schaefer. The pair eventually assumes that Schaefer went home, likely walking to his off-campus apartment just six blocks away. Somehow, some way, Brian Schaefer is dead. To Matthew Mangino, veteran trial lawyer and author, it's not a ghost that is responsible for Alyssa's death. And I don't believe she committed suicide in that manner. I just don't see it statistically. It didn't happen that way.

Starting point is 00:39:54 Someone killed her, someone that knew about those cisterns and had access to them. Well, yeah, I would agree, Nancy. And I think that the focus should be on former employees, former people who had an opportunity to know their way around the hotel. The reason I say that is a current employee, you know, you're not going to throw the body in a water tank and close the cap because you know at some point it's going to be discovered as it was with the murky water and the bad smell. So this is someone who isn't worried about being around when that body's found but knows their way around the hotel and I would look at former employees, former maintenance people

Starting point is 00:40:38 who would have access to that area and know how to navigate the security and the passcodes. If you know or think you know anything about the death of this young girl, Alyssa Lamb, please call 213-486-6890. Repeat 213-486-6890. And if you wish to remain anonymous, log on to LAPDonline.org and click on Anonymous Web Tips. We stop now to remember an American hero, police officer Marshall Lee Waters, Mangum PD, Louisiana, shot and killed in the line of duty. Officer Waters with the force, with Mangum PD and a full-time EMT. Louisiana Highway 425 renamed Marshall Waters Jr. Memorial Highway in his honor. He is survived by a loving sister, Felicia Waters, and many other loving family members.

Starting point is 00:41:48 American hero, police officer Marshall Lee Waters. End of Watch. Nancy Grace signing off. Goodbye, friend. this is an iHeart podcast

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Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - HORROR HOTEL: "WE TASTED BLOOD IN WATER" AT CECIL HOTEL, ELISA'S BODY IN WATER TANK

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