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Inside the legendary American Horror Story hotel branded the ‘hotbed of death’ where two infamous serial killers stayed

THE Cecil Hotel may have undergone renovations and rebrands over the years, but few can forget its eerie 100-year history as the sight of hundreds of horrific deaths.

Hit drama American Horror Story even drew inspiration from “American’s Hotel Death” saga for the show’s fifth season.

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The Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles is known for its eerie 100-year history as the sight of hundreds of horrific deathsCredit: AFP – Getty
Richard Ramirez rented out a room for just $14 a night while stalking, sexually assaulting, and murdering his victims,

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Richard Ramirez rented out a room for just $14 a night while stalking, sexually assaulting, and murdering his victims,Credit: Getty
Serial Killer Jack Unterweger strangled three sex workers while he was living at the hotel

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Serial Killer Jack Unterweger strangled three sex workers while he was living at the hotelCredit: Getty

The building, which opened in 1920, was designed to attract upper-middle-class travelers and businesspeople with its flashy Beaux-Arts architecture and exquisite interior.

Just 20 years after its opening, the hotel was slammed by the Great Depression, forcing management to rent rooms out for cheap short-term and long-term stays.

The hostel-style living led to an influx of temporary occupants from the nearby Skid Row, making the hotel a hot spot for sex workers and criminals.

It wasn’t long before the chain of mysterious, and tragic deaths began to plague the hotel’s walls.

In 1927, former real-estate dealer Percy Ormond Cook shot himself in the head after dealing with marital problems.

A few years later, another man was found dead after ingesting poisonous pills. In 1934, an Army Sargent slit his throat with a razor. in 1938, another Marine jumped from the building.

In 1944, a young mother who claimed she did not know she was pregnant tossed her newborn from the building.

She said the child was stillborn, but a medical examiner confirmed the baby was alive before his mother threw him.

In 1964, a 59-year-old woman was found murdered in a hotel room after she was sexually assaulted, strangled, and stabbed.

A suspect was identified but later ruled out, and the case remains unsolved.

Two serial killers called the Cecil Hotel their home during their killing sprees.

“The Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez rented out a room for just $14 a night while stalking, sexually assaulting, and murdering his victims, dumping some of their bloodied clothes in the hotel’s garbage.

Jack Unterweger, who rose to fame after being released from prison on murder charges, went on to strangle three sex workers with their bra straps. He was living at the Cecil Hotel at the time.

One of the more recent cases involved a young, traveling student who checked into the hotel in January 2013.

Elisa Lam’s parents declared her missing after she did not checkout.

Surveillance footage showed Lam pressing nearly all the floor buttons while the doors remained open.

Internet conspiracies speculated about the cause of her death before her body was later found in the hotel’s water tank.

American Horror Story writer Ryan Murphy referenced the case when speaking about what inspired the latest season.

“A girl got in an elevator in a downtown hotel. She was never seen again,” he said in a 2015 panel for the Television Critics Association.

The hotel has attempted to clean up its tarnished image.

In 2011, the Cecil rebranded itself as the Stay on Main Hotel and Hostel, offering budget rooms for $75-per-night.

In 2016, New York City real estate developers purchased the property and began renovating it as an upscale boutique hotel.

The president of Simon Baron Development told the Los Angeles Times that he doubted that gruesome history would keep people from checking in.

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“Quite frankly,” he said, “a lot of people already come there out of curiosity.”

FILE – This file photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Elisa Lam of Vancouver, B.C. Los Angeles police say a body has been found on the roof of the Cecil Hotel where Lam, a Canadian tourist, was last seen last month. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department, File)

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FILE – This file photo released by the Los Angeles Police Department shows Elisa Lam of Vancouver, B.C. Los Angeles police say a body has been found on the roof of the Cecil Hotel where Lam, a Canadian tourist, was last seen last month. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department, File)Credit: AP:Associated Press
Elisa Lam (centre) – a missing University of British Columbia student whose body was discovered in a hotel water tank in 2013

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Elisa Lam (centre) – a missing University of British Columbia student whose body was discovered in a hotel water tank in 2013Credit: Facebook
Elisa Lam shown in this CCTV image released by LAPD

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Elisa Lam shown in this CCTV image released by LAPDCredit: LAPD



https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23417217/legendary-american-horror-story-hotel-serial-killers/ Inside the legendary American Horror Story hotel branded the ‘hotbed of death’ where two infamous serial killers stayed

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