True Crime With Caledonian Kitty

*Please be aware that I will be sharing some disturbing details in this post and will be talking about s*icide, substance abuse, mental health issues, death and murder. I will, as always, try to be as sensitive as I can be without taking away from the facts of the individual cases* 

I'm sure many of us have watched the disturbing and hauntingly fascinating story (on Netflix) of the tragic death of Canadian student, Elisa Lam. If you haven't had the chance to watch it yet, I highly recommend you do. For those who are not familiar with Elisa's story, a few years ago a strange clip went viral on the internet of a young woman in an elevator acting quite strange. It appeared that the woman was in some sort of distress like she believed someone was following her. She would open and close the doors of the elevator  numerous times and was acting quite paranoid, almost as if she could see something that was not visible to us.

What was even more strange was that this very bright and popular young woman suddenly vanished into thin air not long after this incident. At the time she had been staying at The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles, a place that had seen better days to put it politely. Rumours and theories went around, people knew that the hotel was very run down and the area (Skid Row) was infamous for crime, drugs, prostitution and homelessness, so some people believed she had been abducted or possibly had been experiencing some sort of bizarre paranormal event, but it wasn't long before the truth was soon to be known and it horrified and shocked everyone who had been looking into this case. 

The mystery of what had happened to Elisa came to a conclusion in one of the most unbelievable and utterly disturbing ways. The guests who had been staying in the Cecil hotel (some as tourists basically passing through and some were living there full time) had been complaining about how filthy the water was in the showers and from the taps (faucets), not only was the water discoloured, the smell was also disgusting. It's hard to believe that some people put up with this and continued to wash themselves using this water and actually boiled the water too as an attempt to drink it. Some of the people that lived in the hotel didn't have much money so they had no choice but to use this contaminated water. 

After something finally getting done about the water, an inspection of the water tank on the roof revealed a horrifying discovery. Elisa Lam had been found inside the tank, deceased and had been decomposing which was what had discoloured the water and created the horrific smell. This discovery was like something out of a horror movie, nobody could believe it and nobody could figure out how she had ended up in there. 

Rumours went wild again with some people believing she had been murdered and placed in there by the perpetrator. After an investigation it was reported by the authorities that Elisa had suffered from mental health problems and they believed that she had taken her own life. They claimed that the strange incidence in the elevator previously had been a psychotic episode due to Elisa not taking her medication. The whole situation was put down to being a very sad and tragic loss of a lovely young woman but a lot of people didn't believe this was the truth. To this day some people believe that there is more to the story and that Elisa was murdered. It's a case that continues to divide opinion. 

The shocking story of Elisa may have brought the world's attention to The Cecil Hotel but this wasn't the only shocking and disturbing event to have happened at the hotel. In fact, this hotel was infamous for being a hotel of horrors with a long history of suicides, mysterious deaths, crime and even serial killers who had lived at the hotel for some time, two of which you may be familiar with, Jack Unterweger and 'The Night Stalker' aka (who I have talked about a few times on this blog) Richard Ramirez. 

Richard Ramirez had been living at the hotel whilst he was actively carrying out some of his horrific murders. When he was finally caught for his despicable crimes (thanks to the determination and bravery of members of the public who had spotted him, grabbed him and held him until the police arrived) he had been living at the Cecil at the time. It was reported that on one occasion he had returned to the hotel after committing a sickening crime to which he was covered in blood and had removed his clothing outside of the hotel and dumped the items in a bin before casually walking into the hotel still with blood on him in front of onlookers but nobody said a word. 

To see someone looking dishevelled, covered in blood or high on drugs was nothing out of the ordinary at the Cecil, it was a regular occurrence. Jack Unterweger was an Austrian serial killer who ended up staying at the Cecil supposedly because he had heard that Richard Ramirez had stayed there previously and the location being so easy for access to sex workers who had been working the streets of Skid Row. Like Richard Ramirez, he was a combination of intelligence, evilness and sickness. He sexually assaulted and murdered numerous women who had been working as sex workers. It's unknown for sure how many women he did kill as he moved around quite a bit and there are cases that he has been linked to but remain unsolved. Authorities believe he has been responsible for 12 murders but possibly more. 

For the horrible crimes he was proven to have committed, he was found guilty of and sentenced to life imprisonment but on the very same night that he was to begin spending his evil life behind bars, he cowardly took his own life by hanging himself in 1994. His case is a whole roller coaster and if you are interested in me covering more of his story in depth please let me know. 

One of the sad facts about the Cecil Hotel was that way back in 1924 when it was first built, it really was quite an extraordinary building with beautiful decor. A lot of time, effort and money went into the creation of what was to be a place where successful people as well as tourists could stay, experience luxury and fantastic customer service. Sadly within two years it was all to fall apart as the great depression hit and that particular area of Los Angeles fell into a dramatic decline. All of a sudden homelessness was at an all time high, people lost their jobs, their homes and ended up on the street, turning to drugs to escape reality and working in prostitution to be able to eat. 

The area spilled into the hotel and the well-to-do guests were soon replaced with drug addicts, criminals, pimps and sex workers. The hotel's reputation continued to spiral in the local press with constant stories of suicides and crime connected to the hotel. On one occasion a woman jumped out of the window of her Cecil hotel room and had struck a man who had been walking along the pavement below, both of them died instantly. A 19 year old girl had been staying there with her boyfriend when she woke up in the middle of the night with excruciating stomach pains only to find that whilst she was in the bathroom, she was pregnant and about to deliver a baby. The girl gave birth and assumed the baby was deceased and (please scroll down further if you would like to avoid this horrific part) for some reason decided to throw the baby out of the hotel window and went back to bed. It was later revealed that the baby had indeed been alive at the time the poor child had been thrown out of the window and this girl was examined and deemed psychologically disturbed. She was placed in a mental health facility. 

There were numerous stories of people taking poison in the hotel rooms as well as various other methods of ending their lives. Some people who died in their rooms had been living there at the time and some people specifically went there to end their lives. 

For years the Cecil Hotel just continued on to be this place of horror and an attempt at a revamp and name change to 'Stay on The Main' did nothing to improve anything. Because of the significance of the building itself, it had been seen as a bit of a marvel when it had first been built and many believed that it was a very important part of American history and architecture. A lot of people didn't want to give up on it and so another revamp was planned in more recent years but during this process it had to be halted due to the Covid pandemic. 

A decision was finally made in 2024 that the building was just not going to cut it as a respectable hotel. The streets of Skid Row has sadly continued to be home to some of the most vulnerable people in America, crime continues and anyone who had thoughts of restoring the Cecil hotel to it's original glory realised that no money would be made to continue to have the building as a hotel. So it was again sold and the decision was made to turn the 14 floor building with it's 700 rooms, into an affordable housing complex. 

The building will never return to the glory of it's infancy but a lot of people still hold it close to their hearts despite the tragedies and dark history that continues to haunt it. I do think that it reflects a sign of hope in my opinion because they could have just demolished this beautiful building but instead they used this historical place to house vulnerable people who had nowhere else to go. That can only been seen as a positive thing. 

Los Angeles is a place like many others, it has it's good areas, it's beauty, it's success and it is often nicknamed 'The City of Angels', some people feel like their dreams have come true when they go there. For others it is a place of struggle, of hardship and hell. It's always heartbreaking when you see someone having to live on the street or struggle to buy food, 2025 you wonder how can it be possible, I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that I have given up with the government. Having worked with homeless people I know how easy it can be to find yourself out on the street because you can't afford to pay your bills. It could happen to any one of us. All we can do is pray and help where we can as it is hard in this day and age for all of us just trying to get by.

So, what are your thoughts about The Cecil Hotel? Please leave your comments below or email me at jocaledoniankitty@gmail.com

Further Reading & Sources:

- The Cecil Hotel: Article | LA Times

- Elisa Lam: Article | USA Today

- Richard Ramirez | Wikipedia

- Jack Unterweger: Article | Mubi

- The Cecil Hotel | Wikipedia

- Skid Row | Wikipedia

- The Cecil Hotel: Article | Discovery

- Behind The Door | Book by Amy Price

- American Hotel Story | Book by Richard Estep

- The Cecil Hotel | Book by Chris Swinney

RIP Elisa and to those who's lives have sadly ended due to personal struggle, murder and addiction. 

I hope you will join me in my next post and in the meantime, please stay safe, know that I appreciate your support and I hope to see you on my Socials x

(Richard Ramirez. Picture credit: elpasotimes)

Richard Ramirez remains a chilling figure in criminal history. Like Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer etc, there's been a number of books and documentaries that have been made about him over the years. The media called him 'The Night Stalker' and he struck fear into the hearts of many Americans during his reign of terror in the early 1980s. 

What made him extra terrifying was that nobody was safe, his victims were both male and female of various ages. It seemed back then that he could strike at any time and anywhere and in many situations he did. He was eventually caught and sentenced to death but died in prison of natural causes in 2013.

In this post which is my third instalment in this series (10 Facts You May Not Know About Serial Killers) I have included just some of the shocking facts about Richard Ramirez. Some of the details you may know and some you may not but I hope that you find this post informative. 

1) One of the crucial pieces of evidence that also linked Ramirez to his numerous horrific crimes was survivors descriptions of his badly rotting teeth. Richard had horrendous teeth which matched his personality. He had dental treatment during his time on death row and was quite proud with the improvement ensuring that he made a show of them if a camera happened to be present. 

2) Numerous women attended his trial and wrote to him in prison declaring their undying love for him. It's shocking to think that anyone could have a kind thought about a monster such as Ramirez but unfortunately we know that serial killers often have groupies. I previously wrote about a woman who had struck up a 'relationship' with Richard through letters and also shared his sick fantasies with him. When the time came for her to actually visit the prison to meet him, reality set in. She soon realised that Richard Ramirez was not quite the exciting fantasy that she had built up in her head, he terrified her so much so that she could not wait to leave the prison vowing to never contact him again. 

3) Richard was popular with a lot of unstable women and was married behind bars to a serial killer groupie by the name of Doreen Lioy who was also a journalist. She claimed that the world did not know him the way she did. Publicity seeker? or lonely, sad desperate woman? you be the judge. 

4) The actor Sean Penn had some wild days when he was younger and had found himself behind bars due to reckless driving and an assault. In a bizarre twist of events he stumbled across a letter which Richard Ramirez (a fellow inmate) had written to him. It appeared that Richard was a huge fan but Sean was having none of that, he promptly wrote back that he hoped that Ramirez died in the gas chamber. 

5) One of Richard Ramirez's favourite songs was 'Eyes Without A Face' by Billy Idol.

6) Richard Ramirez died at the age of 53 without setting foot in the gas chamber. He passed away from natural causes (liver failure)

7) Richard was obsessed with pentagrams and claimed to be a dedicated satanist. At his crime scenes he was known to draw pentagrams on his victim's walls, he would also draw the symbols on his hands which could be seen in pictures from his courtroom appearances.

8) Richard's eventual capture was not by investigators it was by brave members of the public after he had been spotted in a neighbourhood. Some residents had recognised him from the endless newspaper headlines. The residents were able to hold him until authorities arrived on the scene. 

9) After Richard Ramirez passed away in prison of natural causes his body was cremated and put in an undisclosed location, nobody came to claim his remains, not even his so-called groupies or the 23 year old writer that he was said to have been engaged to up until his death (Doreen was no longer on the scene at this point). 

10) Richard was said to have written approximately 75 letters whilst he was in prison and a few of them have ended up on true crime memorabilia auction sites. 

Bonus fact: 11) As mentioned previously 'The Night Stalker' nickname that was given to Richard was also previously given to another serial killer who was active during the 1970s, Joseph James DeAngelo (let me know if you would like me to write about him in a future post)

I would like to take this moment to remember the known victims of Richard Ramirez and the survivors. Also to any of the unidentified possible victims that we don't yet know about and maybe will never know but I always say to never give up hope. As I type this, coming to the end of this post I have been notified that a unsolved murder that had been left open for many years has now been closed and the serial killer connected with that horrendous crime has been further charged so I will be updating my original post on that case. The case in question is related to British Serial Killer Steve Wright

Further Reading & Sources: