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Elisa Lam: Coroner Says Bipolar Disorder Contributed To 'Accidental Drowning'
Elisa Lam (Photo courtesy LAPD)
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The coroner's office has released its long-awaited report on Elisa Lam, a 21-year-old Canadian tourist whose body was found in the water tank of the Cecil Hotel downtown weeks after she went missing.
The report ruled her death an accidental drowning, and also listed her bipolar disorder as a significant condition, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, it did not elaborate exactly how it may have contributed to her death.
In his autopsy, coroner Ed Winter noted that her death was considered "suspicious" due to her age and health. She was last seen a few weeks before her body was discovered acting bizarrely in the hotel where she was staying. Surveillance footage captured her at the elevator in the Cecil Hotel downtown. She pressed all the buttons, ducked in and out and acted like she was hiding from someone. That video plus her disappearance sparked all sorts of conspiracy theories.
Her body was only discovered when guests at the hotel complained about weak water pressure. A maintenance worker found her body in the water tank on the roof of the hotel, and the hotel had to issue a Do-Not-Drink order.
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