On February 19, 2013, the body of Canadian tourist Elisa Lam was discovered in a water tank on the roof of the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. According to the Los Angeles Times, the coroner ruled her death an accident, but the details of her disappearance and discovery of her body several weeks later have been shrouded in mystery ever since. What happened to Lam back then is still unknown and is now the subject of the new Netflix docuseries Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

Lam had gone missing on January 31. Security footage from the hotel showing her presenting strange behavior — getting on and off the elevator, making strange gestures, talking, and at times appearing to hide — added another layer of mystery to the incident. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said that her bipolar disorder played a role in her death, but did not elaborate on exactly how. Her body was found naked, with her clothes at the bottom of the tank, after 19 days, and the autopsy report said it was “in moderate decomposition.” But, what exactly does that mean? Let’s take a look at what happens to the human body after 19 days in the water.

Your body is not a pretty sight after 19 days in the water

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