Stationed along downtown Los Angeles’ Main Street stands an infamous hotel with a checkered past beset by multiple suicides, murders, devil-worshipping, and serial killers. Perhaps it is most known for the recent mysterious death of a young girl named Elisa Lam, whose body was found in the hotel’s water tower without any explanation as to what may have happened. Her peculiar demise remains unsolved, and bizarre elevator surveillance video of Lam has fueled an abundance of theories, including that of supernatural forces. Now, for the first time ever, the Cecil Hotel is allowing cameras inside for an investigation of ghostly proportions in the two-hour special, Ghost Adventures: Cecil Hotel, launching on Discovery, Inc.’s new discovery+ streaming service beginning Monday, January 4, 2021. The special will be available exclusively to discovery+ subscribers and is one of the featured marquee programs launching with the new platform.
“It doesn’t get bigger and more sinister than this,” said Zak Bagans, lead paranormal investigator. “We’ve been trying to get inside these rooms for more than a decade, so this is really a big deal – the first ever paranormal investigation in the Cecil Hotel. It has a dark history and reputation and it’s one of the heaviest places we’ve ever been in. This is not your average hotel. With its connection to serial killer Richard Ramirez and the disturbing death of Elisa Lam, it’s undeniable that there are spirits inside this building. But the question is who, or what, are they.”
The Cecil Hotel has a history of seedy activity and housing transients, drug dealers and even serial killers. Richard Ramirez, the “Night Stalker,” was a self-proclaimed devil worshipper rumored to have carried out some of his murder spree while living in the hotel during the 1980s. Riddled with stories of paranormal activity, the historic building is the epitome of creepy – an inspiration for books, films and even a season of the “American Horror Story” series. In 2013, it was the site of one of the most chilling mysteries of the 21st century, when the body of college student Elisa Lam was found in one of the hotel’s rooftop water tanks. The only clue was disturbing security camera footage of Lam exhibiting odd behavior inside the hotel elevator right before her untimely disappearance and death. The incident remains a mystery and questions linger about how Lam got in the tank – and whether it was a person, or a darker force, that drew her there.
The Ghost Adventures team – Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Jay Wasley, and Billy Tolley – begin their investigation by retracing the steps of Elisa Lam. Calling in psychic mediums Michael and Marti Parry for assistance, they investigate the room she was staying in, the water tower where she was found, and even the elevator where she was last seen. They’re convinced there’s more to this property, and it might be because of one of its most famous former inhabitants – killer Richard Ramirez. Could it be that Ramirez’s devil-worshipping rituals opened up the Cecil Hotel to a demonic infestation that could have affected Lam? As the crew explores Ramirez’s old room, they make startling connections with what may be his dark energy. But the list of figures who could be contributing to the hotel’s hauntings extends beyond just Lam and Ramirez. As they go deeper into their investigation, the team experiences physical afflictions, including unexplained scratches, and some of the most frightening and compelling audio and visual evidence they’ve ever captured – leading them to believe that the many dark forces at this hotel are still very much alive.
