Water tested after body of Canadian tourist found in Los Angeles hotel’s rooftop tank

LOS ANGELES – British tourist Michael Baugh and his wife said water had only trickled for days as they brushed their teeth, showered and drank from the taps at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, but they could not have imagined the disturbing reason.

The body of a Canadian woman was later discovered at the bottom of one of four cisterns on the roof of the historic hotel near the homeless area known as Skid Row. The tanks provide water for hotel taps and would have been used by guests for washing and drinking.

“The moment we found out, we felt a bit sick to the stomach, quite literally,” Baugh said.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials were expected to release the results of tests on the water on Thursday.

When the body of 21- year- old Elisa Lam was discovered on Tuesday, officials issued a do- not- drink order while a lab analyzes the water, said Terrance Powell, a director coordinating the department’s response.

The disclosure contradicts a previous police statement that the water had been deemed safe.