The Original Conspiracy Theory

Throughout my Capstone project, I mentioned various conspiracy theories. Whether they were about aliens, assassination or anything else, they were all theories that I was interested in. No matter the theory, I find them all fascinating. I want to know why people believe in conspiracies, and what harm can be done to society as a whole when they believe in this misinformation.

For my final blog post for this Capstone project, I wanted to talk about the original conspiracy theory. I’m sure some people are thinking that I’ll be discussing the oldest theory, or even the most popular one that thrust conspiracies into the public eye. Instead, for my final blog post, I’m going to be telling the original conspiracy theory that had me hooked from the beginning.

The theories behind this occurrence is much more morbid than others, so be warned.

I used to always watch “Law and Order” with my parents - hence the obsession with crime television shows. I was way too young to be watching things of that nature, but now that I am 22 years old, this fascination has grown to true crime.

“Buzzfeed Unsolved” may to be at blame for this fascination. If you aren’t familiar with “Buzzfeed Unsolved,” let me break it down a little bit. Found on YouTube, the series focused on conspiracy theories, supernatural occurrences and unsolved true crime cases. After I found this series, I was hooked. I branched away from conspiracy theories to true crime, which leads me to the original conspiracy theory. That all sounds a bit misleading, but no conspiracy theory truly made me think like the ones behind this true crime case.

Elisa Lam was a 21-year-old girl who just wanted to travel. She traveled from Canada alone to Los Angeles, and stayed at the notorious Cecil Hotel. This hotel, if you’re unfamiliar, has been the host to many crimes since its doors opened in 1924. With a Netflix series released in 2021, this case was thrust into the spotlight again.

If you’ve never heard of this case, it is one that has kept me up at night on multiple occasions. Lam disappeared in 2013, and for 19 days, nobody heard from her. This was completely unusual for Lam, as she was always in contact with her family. Unfortunately, after those 19 days, it was not a joyous reunion for the Lam family, but instead, Elisa’s body was found. This is the part of the case that makes me think.

Her body was not found because people were looking for it. Yes, people were searching for her in hopes she’d be alive, but that was not what they discovered. When hotel residents started complaining about the water quality in the sinks and showers, hotel staff checked the water tanks on the roof. This is where Elisa’s body was discovered. Now, Elisa was 21. She was the average height and weight for someone her age. How was she able to get in the water tank?

There are multiple theories surrounding the tragic death, and even though it seems highly unlikely (in my opinion), the coroners ruled her death as an accidental drowning. If a body is found in a water tank, my first thought is not an accidental drowning.

Even though the way the body was found is subject to multiple theories alone, many people focus on the hotel security footage found of Elisa. Her behavior was visibly odd, even for people who had never met the girl. This video went viral on the internet and sparked much discussion, as well as brought attention to the disappearance.

I’m not writing this blog post to dredge up controversies or anything of the nature, I simply wanted to let everyone know why conspiracy theories are so intriguing to me. If you’re a fan of conspiracy theories, but don’t believe in them, do you remember the first theory you heard of? What was it? Or, if you’re a more casual consumer of conspiracies, is there anything you learned from this Capstone project? Let me know in the comments.