Netflix teases viewers with eerie trailer for Crime-Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel

The series will explore the suspicious case of college student Elisa Lam, who was found dead in the notorious Hotel Cecil in 2013.

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
(Image credit: Netflix)

Can’t wait for your first hotel getaway after lockdown? You might want to think again. 

Netflix has released their trailer for their upcoming true-crime series, Crime-Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, and we’re already spooked. 

The four-part docu-series, which will grace our screens on February 21, explores the mysterious death of Elisa Lam, whose body was found in the Cecil Hotel in 2013. Despite a police investigation and widespread media attention, the cause of Lam’s death remains unknown to this day. 

In the thrilling trailer for Crime-Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, viewers are given a brief history lesson on how the seedy L.A. joint earned its notorious reputation. 

“Throughout its history, Hotel Cecil has always had a dark persona,” an eerie voiceover explains. “People call it Hotel Death.” 

Since its opening in 1927, the hotel has been the site of 16 murders and multiple acts of violence and suspicious deaths. Known as a magnet for serial killers, the hotel's management has been under intense criticism for its response to its ongoing nefarious activities. 

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Crime-Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel aims to dig deeper into the hotel’s dark past and shed light on the most recent headline story to happen there, Elisa Lam's death. The 21-year-old Canadian college student was on a solo trip to California when she disappeared. She was later discovered in the hotel’s rooftop water tank. 

The trailer features interviews with hotel staff, law enforcement, and journalists about the incident, which is made all the more horrifying by the infamous last sighting of Lam. The young traveler’s final moments before she vanished were captured on CCTV, in footage which shows her moving erratically inside the hotel’s elevator. 

The disturbing videotape only complicated the case further, leaving everybody wondering: Is there something evil about the Cecil Hotel? 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.


Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.