Coroner: Canadian woman's death in Los Angeles hotel roof water tank was accidental drowning

June 20, 2013 at 11:15PM

LOS ANGELES — Authorities say a Canadian woman whose body was discovered in a downtown Los Angeles hotel's rooftop water tank accidentally drowned.

Coroner's Lt. Fred Corral says 21-year-old Elisa Lam's cause of death was ruled an accident on Thursday. Corral says the body had no sign of trauma indicating foul play. Lam also had bipolar disorder.

Lam traveled alone to Los Angeles from Vancouver, British Columbia, on Jan. 26 and was last seen five days later by workers at the historic Cecil Hotel near Skid Row.

Before she died, hotel surveillance footage showed Lam inside an elevator pushing buttons and sticking her head out the doors, looking in both directions.

Lam's body was found on Feb. 19 in the water tank after hotel guests complained of low water pressure.

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