Former Cecil Hotel general manager Amy Price has denied accusations that she had tampered with the footage shown in Netflix's crime series about the death of Elisa Lam.
Elisa Lam mysteriously disappeared at the fabled hotel which hosted a multitude of suicides, murders and serial killers.
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In the new show Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, internet sleuths claim that a video used as evidence on Elisa Lam's case seemed slowed down, the time stamp seemed blurred and almost one minute of footage was missing.
The former manager told E! News about the tampering accusations: "That's absolutely false.
"I was a little surprised to hear that. I really hadn't heard that before the documentary.
"I'm not surprised people feel that way based on the momentum that a lot of the sleuths have."
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The docu-series shows that Price gave the police elevator footage of Elisa Lam. Price said: "First of all, I provided the footage when it was presented to me...it's bizarre."
She continued: "We cooperated with the police 100 per cent...I mean, from the moment they arrived.
"There wasn't even a chance to even look at the tapes myself, I just handed them over. I provided a room for them to review them and that's exactly what they did.
Audiences have become increasingly compelled to solve crimes from their sofa; after all, this has happened before.
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Since 2017, several TV shows and podcasts have had an impact on real crime cases, a feat that continues to evoke every spectator's inner Sherlock Holmes.
Making a Murderer's fans found new evidence on Steven Avery's case back in 2017, journalist Sarah Koenig (who was not a crime journalist) influenced the re-opening of the case and another journalist gathered a surprising murder confession during a podcast interview.
It's no wonder that audiences are trying to resolve Elisa Lam's case too. According to E! News, Price can see where the public fascination comes from, but wonders: "What would be the reason for wanting to edit the footage?"
While filming Crime Scene, Price reflected on her 10-year career and Lam's disappearance. About that, she told E! News: "A lot of feelings did come up".
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Nowadays, Price runs her own interior design and jewellery businesses. About the morbid hotel, the former manager said: "As far as returning to the hotel, I couldn't tell you that's on the list. But you never know where life can take you."
Words: Cilene Tanaka
Topics: TV and Film, US News, Netflix