logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
53m 19s

184: Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the C...

True Crime Obsessed
About this episode
FAM: This is a two-part series. Episode 2 is available right now and ad-free for 1 week only on our Patreon at all levels. Part 2 will be our regular episode next week!

Can a building be evil? (Gillian: “NO, IT’S JUST A BUILDING!”). Can web sleuths solve a truly bizarre death? (Patrick: “NO! GET OFF FACEBOOK AND GO. OUT. SIDE.). And what exactly is a hotel general manager’s job? (Patrick and Gillian: (“UNCLEAR!”)  Welcome to the Cecil Hotel—a once grand hotel which rotted from the inside and became a place where “dreams go to die” and “serial killers let their hair down.”

Elisa Lam knew none of that, of course, when she checked in on  January 28, 2013. She went missing a few days later. And two weeks after that, out of desperation to find her, the LAPD released the now infamous “elevator video” of her which set the internet ablaze. Join us and the investigators and internet…sleuths?...as we all try to put together the pieces of her disappearance and death. And I promise, we land on an answer as to what happened to her.

LOOKING FOR MORE TCO? On our Patreon feed, you'll find over 200 FULL BONUS episodes to BINGE RIGHT NOW! Including our episode-by-episode coverage of "Night Stalker" "The Jinx," "Making A Murderer," "The Staircase," "I'll Be Gone in the Dark," "A Wilderness of Error" "The Vow"  "Tiger King" "Don't F**K With Cats," "The Menendez Murders," "The Murder of Laci Peterson," "Casey Anthony: American Murder Mystery," "Serial," "Lorena," "The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann," "OJ: Made in America" and so many more! JOIN HERE!


Up next
Yesterday
504: Untold: Chess Mates
Just when we thought the biggest drama around the chess world was reserved for a 1980s British mega-musical about US/Soviet Cold War relations, along comes a bunch of tech bros at Chess.com to steal the crown. Apparently winning at chess online can lead to some big earnings, and ... Show More
1h 2m
May 28
503: The Body in the Sand (from "Naming the Dead")
The body of an unidentified young woman was found in the Arizona desert in August 1992. Over thirty years later, the incredible efforts of the forensic genealogists at the DNA Doe Project would identify her as Melody Harrison. But how they pieced together her story traces a puzzl ... Show More
50m 13s
May 26
502: The Truth and Tragedy of Moriah Wilson
Moriah Wilson could do just about anything. As a kid she became a world-class skier, and then as an adult she became one of the best gravel bike racers in the world. In May of 2022, she was in Austin, Texas, for a race when she was brutally murdered in her friend's home. The inve ... Show More
1h 9m
Recommended Episodes
Dec 2021
Best of 2021: Crime Scene
We are looking back on one of your favorite You Can't Make This Up episodes of the year. In February of 2021, the docu-series 'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel' was released on Netflix. Our host Rebecca Lavoie interviewed director and executive producer, Joe Berlinge ... Show More
38m 48s
May 2018
Infamous Locales: The Cecil Hotel - Part 1
The Cecil Hotel in Los Angeles has been home to at least two serial killers, numerous tragic deaths, a sniper shooting and one mysterious death.  Join me for this first installment of a 3-part episode covering the Cecil Hotel's history. #serial killers #RichardRamirez #TheNightSt ... Show More
52m 15s
Jun 2022
222: The [Unsolved] Murder of Susan Powell- Part 2
Part 2 of 2 **TRIGGER WARNINGS** murder, child murder, domestic abuse, violent death, child pornography, Suicide On December 7, 2009, 28-year-old Susan Powell didn't show up to work. She never dropped her two sons off at daycare. Nobody could reach her and she hadn't been seen si ... Show More
1h 2m
Sep 2023
The Black Dahlia Murder Pt. 1
In 1940s Hollywood, a 22-year-old aspiring actress is found mutilated and drained of blood. Her body is posed, and her mouth has been carved into a permanent smile. The investigation takes police into the hidden sides of the city — illicit romances and gang-related crimes. But wh ... Show More
41m 49s
Aug 2022
#393: The Murders of Brenda and Erica Lafferty: Under The Banner of Heaven - Part 2
<p>We continue our analysis of the murders of Brenda Lafferty and her 15 month old daughter Erica as depicted in the Hulu Original series "Under the Banner of Heaven" created by Dustin Lance Black. Jim and Laura discuss Brenda's victimology and how she was betrayed time after tim ... Show More
32m 31s