Firefighters remove the body of 21-year-old Elisa Lam found inside a water tank on the rooftop of Hotel Cecil in Los Angeles, California February 19, 2013.
Guests at the Los Angeles hotel where a Canadian tourist's body
floated, decomposing, in a roof-top tank for three weeks say the water
tasted "funny."
Visitors to the Cecil Hotel admitted they were "sick to the stomach" to learn the weird tang to the water could have come from the decomposing corpse of 21-year-old Elisa Lam.
British tourist Sabrina Baugh, who for eight days brushed her teeth and bathed in water from the tank where Lam was found, told CNN, "We never thought anything of it." More pictures after the cut.....
Her husband Michael added, "The moment we found out, we felt a bit sick
to the stomach, quite literally, especially having drank the water,
we're not well mentally."
LA County Health officials say they are now testing the water to see if it is contaminated, their main fear being that fecal matter could have spread.
The tank, where University of British Columbia student Lam was found on Tuesday, supplies taps and showers in hotel rooms. It also feeds water to a coffee shop and the hotel kitchen.
Lam went missing on February 1.
Lam had been travelling alone since she left her home in Vancouver,
British Columbia, although she was in daily contact with her family.
She had arrived in California on January 27, and was last seen at the Cecil Hotel on January 31, CBC News reported.
Security footage from inside the hotel's elevator shows Lam acting erratically, peeking her head out of the door and looking side-to-side.
At one point, she runs back into the elevator and presses buttons.
Lam never checked out of the hotel, and a hostess and desk clerk said they only saw her alone, CTV News said.
It's unclear how Lam may have gotten onto the Cecil's roof, which has no security cameras. LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez said the roof is "secured with an alarm, and a lock and a key to the door access," according to CBC News, although the water tank itself is not locked.
The hotel, located near the city's skid row, was once frequented by the rich and famous during Hollywood's Golden Age.
It lost its luster in later years, and even became a haunt for infamous serial killers such as Jack Unterweger and Richard "Night Stalker" Ramirez, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The hotel now caters to many younger travelers.
Visitors to the Cecil Hotel admitted they were "sick to the stomach" to learn the weird tang to the water could have come from the decomposing corpse of 21-year-old Elisa Lam.
British tourist Sabrina Baugh, who for eight days brushed her teeth and bathed in water from the tank where Lam was found, told CNN, "We never thought anything of it." More pictures after the cut.....
Reed Saxon/AP
Michael and Sabina Baugh, both 27, of Plymouth, England, wait for transportation as they leave the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2013. The Baughs had been there eight days and had showered in and drank the water.
LA County Health officials say they are now testing the water to see if it is contaminated, their main fear being that fecal matter could have spread.
The tank, where University of British Columbia student Lam was found on Tuesday, supplies taps and showers in hotel rooms. It also feeds water to a coffee shop and the hotel kitchen.
Lam went missing on February 1.
HANDOUT/Reuters
Elisa Lam of Vancouver, British Columbia, is seen in this undated handout photo provided by the Los Angeles Police Department.
She had arrived in California on January 27, and was last seen at the Cecil Hotel on January 31, CBC News reported.
Security footage from inside the hotel's elevator shows Lam acting erratically, peeking her head out of the door and looking side-to-side.
At one point, she runs back into the elevator and presses buttons.
Los Angeles Police Department
A new video Released by Police Shows Elisa Lam Pressing Several Buttons in an Elevator
It's unclear how Lam may have gotten onto the Cecil's roof, which has no security cameras. LAPD Sgt. Rudy Lopez said the roof is "secured with an alarm, and a lock and a key to the door access," according to CBC News, although the water tank itself is not locked.
The hotel, located near the city's skid row, was once frequented by the rich and famous during Hollywood's Golden Age.
It lost its luster in later years, and even became a haunt for infamous serial killers such as Jack Unterweger and Richard "Night Stalker" Ramirez, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The hotel now caters to many younger travelers.
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