I just watched the Elisa Lam documentary on Netflix today and was blown away! If you are not familiar with this case, she was a young woman from Canada traveling abroad and staying at the Cecil Hotel in LA back in 2013. She went missing and was eventually found dead after 19 days in the hotels water tank. After years of conspiracy theories and one of the creepiest videos I’ve ever seen, they ended the segment with a clear and logical explication. That being that this was a young woman with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder who was prone to psychotic features and hallucinations when she would go off her medication. Based on the evidence, they theorize she had stopped taking her meds halfway through this trip, and one night experienced a psychotic break where she thought she was being chased. She took the fire escape out her bedroom window, and went up to the water tanks to “hide”. From there, she ultimately succumbed to drowning.

It was so clear and so obvious, that I can’t believe I ever gave the other ideas a second thought.

Which brings me here. Do you feel (especially maybe with some of the suicide cases or random deaths) that the most obvious answer was in front of everyone but the family couldn’t bring themselves to accept it and therefore chose to follow other leads and ideas?

Jeffrey Digman

I understand his father was in a state of hurt and disbelief, but I felt bad laughing in the segment when he was trying to prove that Jeffrey didn't do it with contraptions

Each of the cases they aired where a family thought their beloved didn't die in war.

And, it's not UM nor family perpetuating it, but i can't resist -- The JFK assassination.

I do believe that, in the cases where they believe that their family member did not die in the war, or did not commit suicide.

Cheryl Lombardi with her pencil in the headboard explanation.

I have to agree with the war cases (with the exception of Charles Shelton, as there actually was solid evidence that he was alive for a long time). Do I blame the families for clutching at straws? Absolutely not.

But the one that went really overboard was the Curt Borton segment. It was like something out of a TV movie (tapped phones, stalking, being approaching in parking lots/public with threats/coercion, and claiming to see Curt himself several times). I feel for the family, but this one was truly a crazy segment that went way into the far-fetched realm.

I have to agree with the war cases (with the exception of Charles Shelton, as there actually was solid evidence that he was alive for a long time). Do I blame the families for clutching at straws? Absolutely not.

But the one that went really overboard was the Curt Borton segment. It was like something out of a TV movie (tapped phones, stalking, being approaching in parking lots/public with threats/coercion, and claiming to see Curt himself several times). I feel for the family, but this one was truly a crazy segment that went way into the far-fetched realm.

One of the things that always kind of convinced me that Curt Borton's family was merely seeing what they wanted to see was the fact that unlike many similar segments where "The Army decline our request for an interview", the army official was interviewed on camera.

It almost felt like they were trying to say "No, seriously, we didn't do this. You can't lay it at our doorstep.". LOL

I have to agree with the war cases (with the exception of Charles Shelton, as there actually was solid evidence that he was alive for a long time).


Re: The Shelton case...it always just seemed odd to me that his family would get regular "updates" on Charles. The idea that they would get stories about where he was and what he was doing just seems implausible.

The Katherine Korzillius case always struck me a young girl who tried to climb on the back of the car as a game, as if to say “haha! I beat you home!” Only to fall off when the car got moving. I don’t think it was as sinister as the family believes it to be. Sadly someone posted recently her brother Chris had died. The family has really been through a lot.

Jeffrey Digman

I understand his father was in a state of hurt and disbelief, but I felt bad laughing in the segment when he was trying to prove that Jeffrey didn't do it with contraptions

The thing that sealed it for me was when he talks about how everything is set up exactly the way it was in the bedroom, and how he and his son were the same height...but when they show a picture of Jeffrey standing next to the same exact headboard, you can see he's easily at least a foot taller than his father.

The thing that sealed it for me was when he talks about how everything is set up exactly the way it was in the bedroom, and how he and his son were the same height...but when they show a picture of Jeffrey standing next to the same exact headboard, you can see he's easily at least a foot taller than his father.

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I always had trouble believing the foul play/suicide cases. Especially when the family hires a PI who comes up with his own wild theory.

The thing that sealed it for me was when he talks about how everything is set up exactly the way it was in the bedroom, and how he and his son were the same height...but when they show a picture of Jeffrey standing next to the same exact headboard, you can see he's easily at least a foot taller than his father.

Lmao I know. Man, I feel bad laughing at that but geeze

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I always had trouble believing the foul play/suicide cases. Especially when the family hires a PI who comes up with his own wild theory.

Evertytime I think about Jeffrey Digman your profile picture pops into my mind :lol:

Any case involving an intoxicated individual/s who either disappeared or died under suspicious circumstances. The family will point to random "evidence" like a discarded shoe, or a hat found on the side of the road, and somehow this supports a foul play scenario. Even when an area is searched prior and nothing is found does not mean that whatever is ultimately found (body, piece of evidence) was planted.

Mark Dennis. The irony is the military fueled the family’s persistence by being so open and accommodating to them. By giving them so much information and attention for so long it just opened up opportunities for them to question things and see hope that wasn’t there.

Kari Lynn Nixon was one we saw play out in real time. The runaway theory seemed to have everyone convinced.

Then you had the lady on camera saying “I know I’ve met you Kari” — she had egg on her face for sure.

That said, I respected the New Kids making a televised plea to Kari as it was absolutely the right thing to do at that moment.

Which brings me here. Do you feel (especially maybe with some of the suicide cases or random deaths) that the most obvious answer was in front of everyone but the family couldn’t bring themselves to accept it and therefore chose to follow other leads and ideas?

My first thought was actually Ric Gillespie, even though the case isn't a family mystery. He doesn't seem to be able to stop chasing the same theories after almost four decades and I don't think he has much to show for it.

Kari Lynn Nixon was one we saw play out in real time. The runaway theory seemed to have everyone convinced.

One thing I don't think helped was the indecision of the police involved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly you had one detective going on talking about how he believed she'd simply run away because "her diary said she wanted to leave the small town when she turned 18," and another one saying that he believed that it was an abduction, because "running away with twenty dollars doesn't make sense."

One thing I don't think helped was the indecision of the police involved.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if I remember correctly you had one detective going on talking about how he believed she'd simply run away because "her diary said she wanted to leave the small town when she turned 18," and another one saying that he believed that it was an abduction, because "running away with twenty dollars doesn't make sense."

Yes, that was the case. The direct quote of the detective who believed she was kidnapped was...

"My theory on this case was that Kari Lynn Nixon was abducted. She was dressed in sweats, her father gave her $20.00 for groceries, she went to Thomason's store for her father, paid $3.00 for the groceries, left Thomason's store with the bag of groceries...if she were a runaway, she would have done NONE of those things. She would have been dressed better, she would have taken money with her that she had in her bedroom (after we searched her bedroom) she is the victim of a kidnapping."

He was dead on and everything he said made perfect sense. Not mentioned in the UM segment was also the fact that she had been studying all day in order to take an upcoming test to be a summer camp counselor. Why would she have even bothered studying all that time if she were planning on taking off that very evening?

Detectives have to cover every possible scenario, I understand that. But what Kari wrote in her diary wasn't exactly unique. Talk to any teenager in small town America and I'd wager 95% of them would also say they can't wait to leave when they are 18, whether it's college, work or just the ability to live somewhere where the entire town doesn't shut down at 6:00 p.m.

I just watched the Elisa Lam documentary on Netflix today and was blown away!

Based on the evidence, they theorize she had stopped taking her meds halfway through this trip, and one night experienced a psychotic break where she thought she was being chased. She took the fire escape out her bedroom window, and went up to the water tanks to “hide”. From there, she ultimately succumbed to drowning.

It was so clear and so obvious, that I can’t believe I ever gave the other ideas a second thought.

I watched it as well. I thought it was neat seeing clips and interviews with familiar YouTubers who have talked about the case. They personally answered every question I ever had that originally creeped me out so much when this hit the news, because they ended up checking in to the Cecil Hotel themselves and retracing her steps. The only thing I could never shake was how she had managed to shut the latch door once she got in the water tank. Then it turns out, that was always a misreported fact and that she was found with the latch door open.

In the end, there was no mystery. But I liked how everything got answered by people who were basically carbon copies of my peeps on the UM message board.

I watched it as well. I thought it was neat seeing clips and interviews with familiar YouTubers who have talked about the case. They personally answered every question I ever had that originally creeped me out so much when this hit the news, because they ended up checking in to the Cecil Hotel themselves and retracing her steps. The only thing I could never shake was how she had managed to shut the latch door once she got in the water tank. Then it turns out, that was always a misreported fact and that she was found with the latch door open.

In the end, there was no mystery. But I liked how everything got answered by people who were basically carbon copies of my peeps on the UM message board.

Yes, agreed! I kept thinking it had to be drugs or a paranormal experience. That video had me so creeped out. And like you said, we were all under the impression that the water tank was closed. Once that was correctly reported as being opened and they stated there was a fire escape outside her window, it all made sense.

Though, the couple that saw the black water and continued to shower, brush their teeth, and even DRINK IT?! Oh honey what are you doing?? I could not for the life of me understand what would make them do that. As soon as the water started spitting out anything other than clear, I would immediately be reporting it and finding other places to shower, drink, and brush my teeth.

Anyone think after it was discovered Sammy Wheeler was murdered by a random stranger, the wild theories surrounding his death (orchestrated by Bob Bean, the "incestuous" love triangle, hitman) now seem extremely contrived? I mean, the case was already morbidly hilarious thanks to the "suspects," but knowing what we know now, it's even more ridiculous.

And not a UM case, the mysterious death of Kenneka Jenkins in 2019, where she was found dead in a hotel freezer. Police ruled it an accident, that she was wandering the place while very high on drugs and alcohol, got in the freezer, and died of hypothermia. Her family believes she was murdered, they claim hotel staff were uncooperative and unwilling to talk. The friends she was with, none of them allegedly could get their stories straight about why she became separated from the group. And it's weird that she was able to wander around the hotel for so long without an employee noticing anything and reporting it. I've heard theories she was murdered by an employee who tried to rape her, that she died of an overdose or she was murdered by one of the party guests. Then her friends put her in the freezer to cover it up. I wonder if we'll ever know the real story.

Yes, agreed! I kept thinking it had to be drugs or a paranormal experience. That video had me so creeped out. And like you said, we were all under the impression that the water tank was closed. Once that was correctly reported as being opened and they stated there was a fire escape outside her window, it all made sense.

I also think that if it had been reported much earlier that Elisa had been displaying very odd behavior long before the elevator incident, maybe this story wouldn't have exploded so much and taken on a life of its own.

Anyone think after it was discovered Sammy Wheeler was murdered by a random stranger, the wild theories surrounding his death (orchestrated by Bob Bean, the "incestuous" love triangle, hitman) now seem extremely contrived? I mean, the case was already morbidly hilarious thanks to the "suspects," but knowing what we know now, it's even more ridiculous.

To be honest, I always got the impression that Bob Bean didn't actually believe in his accusations. I felt that it was more of a "well these two are throwing their BS accusations at me, might as well throw a few back at them." More than anything, he seemed amused by the situation, presumably because he knew there was no way to tie him to it because he didn't do it.

I also think that if it had been reported much earlier that Elisa had been displaying very odd behavior long before the elevator incident, maybe this story wouldn't have exploded so much and taken on a life of its own.

Exactly this.

I just watched the Elisa Lam documentary on Netflix today and was blown away! If you are not familiar with this case, she was a young woman from Canada traveling abroad and staying at the Cecil Hotel in LA back in 2013. She went missing and was eventually found dead after 19 days in the hotels water tank. After years of conspiracy theories and one of the creepiest videos I’ve ever seen, they ended the segment with a clear and logical explication. That being that this was a young woman with a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder who was prone to psychotic features and hallucinations when she would go off her medication. Based on the evidence, they theorize she had stopped taking her meds halfway through this trip, and one night experienced a psychotic break where she thought she was being chased. She took the fire escape out her bedroom window, and went up to the water tanks to “hide”. From there, she ultimately succumbed to drowning.

It was so clear and so obvious, that I can’t believe I ever gave the other ideas a second thought.

Which brings me here. Do you feel (especially maybe with some of the suicide cases or random deaths) that the most obvious answer was in front of everyone but the family couldn’t bring themselves to accept it and therefore chose to follow other leads and ideas?

There were several cases where a death was ruled a suicide and the family was just determined it had to be murder because their loved one would never commit suicide. In a lot of them, they had nothing to base their murder theory on other than their refusal to accept that it could have been suicide so they invent all kinds of scenarios to make it murder. 30, 40 years later, the answer is still the same and they spent all that time searching for a killer that probably didn't exist. The other one is the ghost and UFO segments but those are really of no interest to me.