The Vanishing at Cecil Hotel

[RamblingMad]

I watched the whole thing, and I felt sad about the death metal guy.

 

[Donald13]

The way the retired cop explained it made sense. It could have been a suicide. She had this pattern of behavior. But was the latch open or closed? The maintenance man says open and the cops say closed. Too many unknowns. Sad story regardless.

 

[#1hoosierfan]

Finished it last night. I'm not convinced it was an accident.

 

[fly girl]

I watched the whole thing, and I felt sad about the death metal guy.

Completely agree. This guy had proof he wasn't even in the country and it didn't matter. The keyboard sleuths picked him as the killer and subsequently brought him down personally and professionally. Terrible. Just terrible. And zero consequences ... not even one apology. So irritating.

I am sick of the internet becoming the judge, jury, and executioner. Sure, you can have an opinion, but ruining people even though you have no proof you just find him and his music weird?

The sad thing is we know this isn't a one and done situation. I love the internet, but I hate stuff like this. This kind of stuff needs to stop.

 

[MissStitch626]

I found the series interesting. It goes without saying that what happened to Elisa Lam is tragic but I was disturbed by the level of obsession from the 'Internet sleuths'. Many seemed to feel entitled to every private detail of this case and the victim's life, as if she belonged to them in the same way a fictional character might. The way some of them set out to make themselves part of the story is incredibly unsettling.

One of the YT guys did make me laugh when he disagreed with the police findings. "I've spent hours and hours looking into this" as if this is anyway comparable to an actual investigation. I know the police can and do get it wrong but this made me laugh out loud.

I know there's been good work done when it comes to 'amateur' investigations in the past but I didn't see any signs of that here, just a portrayal of what seemed to be unhealthy fixation on a young woman who died in tragic circumstances.

The musician's part of this story is every bit as tragic.

 

[Fabinva]

I started watching it and the first thing I noticed is that this is the hotel the American Horror story 5th season was loosely base on, the lobby and other parts of the hotel look so similar to the one in the series.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I also feel very bad for that musician guy. While I did not care for his work, I was like there is NO WAY he did it. After the interviews and alibi etc... it is beyond any sort of doubt that he was connected in any way. It is a shame that people have ruined his life.

I doubt it was suicide. I am convinced that her death was accidental, and there was nobody else involved. I believe that the explanation given by the (actual police) investigators is accurate.

 

[C&Jx2]

Completely agree. This guy had proof he wasn't even in the country and it didn't matter. The keyboard sleuths picked him as the killer and subsequently brought him down personally and professionally. Terrible. Just terrible. And zero consequences ... not even one apology. So irritating.

I am sick of the internet becoming the judge, jury, and executioner. Sure, you can have an opinion, but ruining people even though you have no proof you just find him and his music weird?

The sad thing is we know this isn't a one and done situation. I love the internet, but I hate stuff like this. This kind of stuff needs to stop.

Have you watched “Don’t F$&* With Cats”? It’s all about these crazy, obsessed web sleuths that actually helped catch a killer. It was insane.

 

[fly girl]

Have you watched “Don’t F$&* With Cats”? It’s all about these crazy, obsessed web sleuths that actually helped catch a killer. It was insane.

Yes I have. I had to look away at times with that one.

I don't mind people discussing crimes -- I will admit I have read lots of theories on the cruise ship Grandpa/Granddaughter tragedy. (that one really bothered me). You can theorize all you want, and have an opinion on who you think done it, but being on the internet doesn't make you a police officer on the case. They went over the line when they took Morbid down with no proof. They didn't like his creepy posts and deduced it was him even though he wasn't even in California at the time of her disappearance. That guy had proof of his whereabouts and it meant nothing. That is different than looking at items in a room or a background on video and trying to figure out the location of a killer.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Feel bad the artist got twisted up in the mess but it's good he was publicly vindicated by this show. Praying he can heal.

Still, there is this young girl in the middle of a hellhole (ummm "containment" WTH horror is this practice), this artist was not the only answer to the question of what demons ( monstrous human beings) were in close proximity. Stephen King writes about monsters, it doesn't mean he is one. I also get the vibe that they are hanging it on her because she has a mental illness. The people in this marginalized group are MORE likely to be victimized precisely because people think they lack credibility. The show UNBELIEVABLE did a really good job of exposing these prejudices. I think there is more to it, don't know what happened but I'm not buying what's for sale.

 

[Donald13]

I found the series interesting. It goes without saying that what happened to Elisa Lam is tragic but I was disturbed by the level of obsession from the 'Internet sleuths'. Many seemed to feel entitled to every private detail of this case and the victim's life, as if she belonged to them in the same way a fictional character might. The way some of them set out to make themselves part of the story is incredibly unsettling.

One of the YT guys did make me laugh when he disagreed with the police findings. "I've spent hours and hours looking into this" as if this is anyway comparable to an actual investigation. I know the police can and do get it wrong but this made me laugh out loud.

I know there's been good work done when it comes to 'amateur' investigations in the past but I didn't see any signs of that here, just a portrayal of what seemed to be unhealthy fixation on a young woman who died in tragic circumstances.

The musician's part of this story is every bit as tragic.

Agree on all counts. They really think they are owed something. That guy who “researched” for hours was just a know it all. And the other guy who had someone put their hand on her grave so he could have closure was so wrong.

 

[elgerber]

Not at all. They've gotten so much worse. Zak ,especially, thinks everything is either caused by a spirit or a demon. (My son loves the show.)

Lol so agree. He used to just be obnoxious. Now I don’t have words. I stopped watching when it turned into the demon/possession show.
I just finished watching this. I do believe the theory is accidental death is logical. But I also feel so bad for the musician. His videos made my skin crawl, but what was done to him was just awful. I think that and the insane internet sleuths are almost the actual center of the story.

 

[EveDallas]

Lol so agree. He used to just be obnoxious. Now I don’t have words. I stopped watching when it turned into the demon/possession show.
I just finished watching this. I do believe the theory is accidental death is logical. But I also feel so bad for the musician. His videos made my skin crawl, but what was done to him was just awful. I think that and the insane internet sleuths are almost the actual center of the story.

I agree that it was most likely an accident. It was just horrible all around.

(Full disclosure - I used to watch GA on a regular basis. The whole 'dude-bro' vibe amused me, and I liked that it was just the three of them. But that didn't last long.)

 

[JLTraveling]

I found this series fascinating. As several have mentioned, I felt horrible for the musician. As a goth myself with a lot of death metal friends, my heart broke for him. I believe that the final explanation made sense, but I do feel like the energy of the hotel may have played a part. Not that I think it was a ghost or a demon or whatever, but I live in New Orleans and half my friends are ghost tour guides. I believe old buildings do have a sort of energy or vibe, and a place like the Cecil that's seen so much death and despair has a sort of imprint. I think someone in a bipolar episode would be particularly sensitive to it, and it would make the episode that much worse.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I just finished watching this a few nights ago. I don't think I remember this case so I was glued to the screen watching it. I too felt bad for the musician. I've always said the internet is a powerful tool but it's not always used in the best of ways. I think there are times where the internet really helps out. If anyone has seen Love Fraud mini-series that's another example of where having at least the internet helps tie things together. While I haven't seen the Cats documentary on Netflix (I can't because of the subject matter ) that's one of the prime examples. Also there's another situation recently about a guy in TX who had um quite the life with many women leading double lives (similar to Love Fraud guy but not the same goal in mind) and the internet is how all the women discovered each other and discovered what kind of guy that person was. BUT the internet has the capabilities to be used recklessly which is what happened here with the musician. There was really no basis other than prejudice against people who dressed like that and lived that lifestyle.

What I found probably more was the lid closed/not closed part on the water tank since the information was mismatched between what the police had advertised and what the maintenance guy had said he saw. I know hindsight is 20/20 but I wondered why when they checked the roof they didn't think to check all around. I only say that because someone was missing and these tanks were big enough to have a person it in. But like I said that's hindsight 20/20. I think it just would have saved so much time and that poor couple they interviewed who drank and bathed in that water

I agree with a few others about mental illness. Whatever ended up transpiring that night you feel for what she must have been going through and dealing with.