1. The Black Dahlia

Elizabeth Short, better known as the Black Dahlia was rumored to have had her last drink at the hotel bar in 1947. She turned up dead just a few miles away only days later.

2. The Night Stalker

Richard Ramirez, better know as “The Night Stalker”, convicted of a laundry list of heinous crimes, lived at the Cecil in 1985 during his murder spree.

3. The Unidentified Woman

In 1975, a still unidentified woman jumped from her 12th floor window onto the Cecil’s second-floor roof. It’s important for me to note how something relatively recent can be so mysterious, or at least lack so much basic, yet crucial information. Especially considering she registered with the hotel 4 days previous.

4. Jack Unterweger

Austrian serial killer Jack Unterweger lived in the Cecil in 1991. Perhaps to feel a kinship to fellow serial killer Richard Ramirez.

5. Elisa Lam

The most recent head scratcher at the Cecil was the mysterious case of Elisa Lam. As far as unsolved mysterious go, this one will continue to be one of the most fascinating. The Guardian explains: “An inspection of the cistern on the hotel’s roof, the naked body of 21-year-old Elisa Lam, a Chinese-Canadian tourist who had been decomposing for roughly 19 days. Elevator security footage shows Lam, who suffered from bipolar disorder, acting erratically, alternately hiding in the corner of the elevator and dashing in and out. At one point, she gesticulates as if addressing an unseen figure. Police ruled her death an accidental drowning.” Accident? Or perhaps another victim of the Cecil Hotel?

Is a Cecil Hotel booking in your future? Not until October 2021. Just in time for Halloween!