Elisa Lam’s Death and Internet Afterlife

In early 2013, a young Asian Canadian woman named Elisa Lam was found dead in the water tank of the Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles’s Skid Row. 

After a cryptic video was released of her shortly before she died, the cause of her death became a subject of Internet speculation that continues to this day.  There have even been claims of her ghost being seen at the hotel. 

What really happened to Elisa Lam? 

In this elegantly written piece on Matter, Josh Dean explains what most likely happened to Lam.  He also discusses how she really does have a kind of afterlife, in a story that is less about conspiracy theories and more about topics you wouldn’t consider in her case, like identify, mental health, and community.  It’s a long read, but in my opinion, worth your time.

(h/t:  This.)