OMG, Woman's Corpse found in L.A. Hotel's Water Tank

[MaryAnnDVC]

http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/us/california-hotel-water-corpse/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Tourists staying at a Los Angeles hotel bathed, brushed teeth and drank with water from a tank in which a young woman's body was likely decomposing for more than two weeks, police said.
Elisa Lam's corpse was found in the Cecil Hotel's rooftop water tank by a maintenance worker who was trying to figure out why the water pressure was low Tuesday.
Lam's parents reported her missing in early February. The last sighting of her was in the hotel on January 31, Los Angeles Police said.
Detectives are now investigating the 21-year-old Canadian's suspicious death, police Sgt. Rudy Lopez said.
It was not clear whether the water presented any health risks. Results on tests on the water done Wednesday by the Los Angeles Public Health Department were expected later in the day.

Woman's body found in hotel water tank
The hotel management has not responded to CNN requests for comment.
Video appears to show four cisterns on the hotel roof.
People who stayed at the Cecil since Lam's disappearance expressed shock about developments.
"The water did have a funny taste," Sabrina Baugh told CNN on Wednesday. She and her husband used the water for eight days.
"We never thought anything of it," the British woman said. "We thought it was just the way it was here."
What she described was not normal.
"The shower was awful," she said. "When you turned the tap on, the water was coming black first for two seconds and then it was going back to normal."
The hotel remained open after the discovery, but guests checking in Tuesday were told not to drink it, according to Qui Nguyen, who decided to find a new hotel Wednesday.
Nguyen said he learned about the body from a CNN reporter, not the hotel staff.

 

[nicolita3]

OMG thats horrible, reminds me of the movie Dark Water

 

[nicolita3]

The people who were drinking and bathing in the water, I wonder what happened to them? I wonder if they got sick, I cant even imagine.

 

[Jennasis]

Ewwww.

 

[Handbag Lady]

This has been all over our local news since she went missing.

Ew.
Ew.

and

Ew.


Brushing your teeth in a dead person's water. I just can't even imagine...

 

[E&Cmom]

I live in the Vancouver area so it has been all over the news here from when she disappeared. I am sad of how it ended. I was hoping they would find her alive and well.

 

[MistressMerryweather]

That's so sad, and icky. So sad for her family.

 

[S. C.]

 

[mimmi]

That is very sad and also very disgusting, I have a LA vacation coming up so I somewhat relate to the poor hotel guests.

Does every house in the US have a water tank? I noticed them in NYC and wondered what they are there for as we don't have them.

 

[AnnaS]

Absolutely awful and sad

 

[SondraC]

The hotel remained open after the discovery?!?!

 

[POOHsie]

That is very sad and also very disgusting, I have a LA vacation coming up so I somewhat relate to the poor hotel guests.

Does every house in the US have a water tank? I noticed them in NYC and wondered what they are there for as we don't have them.

Most people in the US get their water pumped thru underground pipes from various sources, so no water tank. In the countryside, some people use water wells on their property for a source, then pipe it to their house. I have seen this well water put in tanks in the basement for filtering and storage. Other people in dry areas, or where water is hard to access, have cisterns to collect rainwater. Generally, a tall residential city building might have water tanks at the top, perhaps inside where you can't see them. The water tanks store a ready supply, with the help of gravity, and that's more efficient.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

How absolutely horrible for the family!


Also, that is absolutely disgusting. Vomit inducing. Nasty. Gross. Yuck.

 

[indimom]

How absolutely horrible for the family!


Also, that is absolutely disgusting. Vomit inducing. Nasty. Gross. Yuck.

X2. Shiver.

 

[tvguy]

Most people in the US get their water pumped thru underground pipes from various sources, so no water tank. In the countryside, some people use water wells on their property for a source, then pipe it to their house. I have seen this well water put in tanks in the basement for filtering and storage. Other people in dry areas, or where water is hard to access, have cisterns to collect rainwater. Generally, a tall residential city building might have water tanks at the top, perhaps inside where you can't see them. The water tanks store a ready supply, with the help of gravity, and that's more efficient.

Remember, this is also an almost 100 year old hotel, so has an older style water system. Water system has been shut down, tests coming back today and all plumbing being sterilized. I guess all this is precautionary since given the size of the tank, contamination is not believed to be an issue....or so they say. Don't read the Mouse Tales books about what they find in the beverage containers on Tom Saywer Island. (it's a relative of Mickey)

 

[Ginny Favers]

 

[wiigirl]

So horrible

 

[Heidict]

I can't imagine being one of the guests. I would be paranoid about how it effected my health and I am not a germaphobe at all.

Did anyone else see the video of her in the elevator? She was acting so strange. It really made no sense at all. It looked like she hit all the buttons, then kept peeking around the door and why wouldn't the door close? Was she waiting for someone or trying to get away from someone?

 

[Bravemouse]

D:
Poor girl, thats horrible!
That is really gross though! Makes you think though how well the water was covered and who had access to it right?

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

I can't imagine being one of the guests. I would be paranoid about how it effected my health and I am not a germaphobe at all.

Did anyone else see the video of her in the elevator? She was acting so strange. It really made no sense at all. It looked like she hit all the buttons, then kept peeking around the door and why wouldn't the door close? Was she waiting for someone or trying to get away from someone?

I think I'd want to drink and shower with bleach after that.

That video was very strange. If she was trying to get away from someone, why hit all the buttons? Very strange. What a horrible crime, and an awful thing for her family to live with.