The Peculiar Death of Elisa Lam
Elisa Lam was a lively 21-year-old college student whose life was cut tragically short when she mysteriously drowned at a Los Angeles hotel. Was her death an accident, murder, or something more peculiar?
California Dreamin’
Elisa Lam lived with a secret that shouldn’t have been a secret; she struggled with the push and pull of bipolar disorder. Elisa, who sometimes went by her Cantonese name Lam Ho Yi, found comfort writing through the highs and lows on her blog, Ether Fields, where she expressed disappointment in herself for relapsing into her illness. She abandoned this blog in favor of her Tumblr account, Nouvelle/Nouveau, where she continued to write about her struggle with bouts of mania and depression.
On January 13, 2013, Elisa posted that she booked her flight to explore San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco on what she called her “West Coast Tour.”Elisa’s family worried when their daughter told them she was taking an impromptu solo journey to California. She appeased their fears when she promised to call every single day and let them know she was safe. She embarked on her trip on January 22, 2013.
