Sherry W

Bewildered after watching this. I agree with the many who say that this was drawn out too long. You're forced down this rabbit hole by being manipulated by the points of views of the conspiracy theorists. My mind never would have gone where those internet sleuths went if we weren't forced to see things from their points of view before learning any actual facts. What stood out to me the most was why the LAPD, who with purpose released the elevator video footage to the public for their help. So how did such a big piece of information like whether the lid to the water tank was open or shut when Lam's body was found was never corrected publicly which allowed these conspiracy theorists to continue chasing to find a killer. This directly led to Pablo Vergara's life being turned upside down by being attacked by these internet sleuths and really killed his soul. Why wasn't that talked about more? And have things changed in how the police are supposed to interact with the public now so the public don't go again with false information and chase after an innocent person for a crime they didn't commit? I just feel like Elisa Lam was not a story worthy of so much fuss. Her family was not surprised by Elisa Lam's behavior in the elevator footage. They admitted that it was very common in fact for Elisa's behavior to be very erratic. She went to the worst part of a large city, known for crime and murder and suicide and prostitution and people disappearing. I was watching this waiting to hear what made Elisa Lam stand out from any one else who has disappeared on skid row and not a single thing makes her case any sadder or more interesting than any other missing person or death or suicide or murder, other than the fact that she shouldn't have been allowed to go down there in the first place. Her family, knowing how severe her mental issues were, should have had some sort of medical restriction imposed on Elisa Lam as she clearly was not able to make sensible and safe decisions for herself. Hopefully families of people with medical conditions this severe now learn to protect their loved ones by not allowing them to enter into situations in which they know someone is not capable of handling and navigating on their own. Talking about that could have made this docuseries much more interesting and meaningful. LAPD screwed up a lot. An innocent person's life was made into a living hell by conspiracy theorists falsely accusing him of being a murderer. The police shouldn't turn to the public for help yet not help prevent them from going off in the wrong direction especially if they're taking matters into their own hands and going after people who are innocent and that could have been prevented if someone from the LAPD or wherever had cleared up this misinformation about whether the lid to the water tank was open or closed when Elisa Lam's body was found. This documentary certainly could have been more useful focusing on other more important things rather than dragging us on this pointless and really unamusing ride of all the things the conspiracy theorists came up with. I really only stuck it out to watch the whole thing because Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's names were tied to this so I really was expecting and waiting for much, much more.