In 1940, Floridas infamous necrophile went on trial for desecrating the body of Elena Hoyos. No matter how hard Tanzler tried, he couldnt save Hoyos. Surprisingly, there are no contemporary sources that mention anything about necrophilia. Heartbroken over his loss, Tanzler decided to pay for her funeral, and, with her familys permission, he commissioned the construction of an above-ground mausoleum in the Key West Cemetery. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Helen had . But its not exactly as romantic as you would think. Ginsburg, Arthur, director. It was 1930 in sunny Key West, Florida, and Maria de Hoyos was dying of tuberculosis. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. [1] Tanzler paid for her funeral, and with the permission of her family, he then commissioned the construction of an above ground mausoleum in the Key West Cemetery, which he visited almost every night. (b. They called him an eccentric romantic and felt sorry for his psychological disorder. Even though you start off the story, just as all others have recounted, as being fact. Mesa left for Miami, leaving Elena alone as her illness worsened (Harrison 1996). The jig was up, and authorities confiscated the corpse. However, he became interested in engineering and electrical work there, bought property, boats, an organ, an island in the Pacificso that he was still in Australia at the end of ten years. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, Did the Wolves Ever Leave the Hen House? Later he was removed to Trial Bay to a castle-like prison on the cliffs, and there the work in this narrative was accomplished. (LogOut/ She was diagnosed with fast-acting tuberculosis. Tanzler had had visions since childhood of a dark-haired woman who was destined to be his true love. Elena Hoyos died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Arriving authorities quickly determined that this doll was, in fact, Hoyos herself, and they arrested Tanzler for grave robbing. 1910 - d. October 25, 1931; Key West, Florida, USA) Contents 1 Parents 2 Siblings 3 Marriage 4 Death Parents Francisco Hoyos (1883-1934), aka Pancho Hoyos Aurora Milagro (1881-1940) Siblings This turned into one of the most unusual, bizarre stories of all time. There are no photographs or other sources to prove this. It seemed to be someone admitting to killing someone. "[1] After a preliminary hearing on October 9, 1940 at the Monroe County Courthouse in Key West, Tanzler was held to answer on the charge, but the case was eventually dropped, and he was released, as the statute of limitations for the crime had expired. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. The Second Autopsy of Elena Hoyos Carl's madness was discovered. He was no longer her technician; she was the love of his life. According to Michelfelder (1982), Tanzler signed the cause on Elenas death certificate as [expiration] from a series of violent seizures clinically associated with dormant epilepsy (p.9). She had dark hair, was beautiful and was a foreigner. I had hopes that, when Elena was out of danger, we would get married. [10], In October 1940, Elena's sister Florinda heard rumors of Tanzler sleeping with the disinterred body of her sister and confronted Tanzler at his home, where Elena's body was eventually discovered (he was also caught dancing with her corpse in front of an open window). Join today and youll get up to twenty dollars in shopping credit toward your first order. and they were expecting their first child (Harrison 1996, Meek 2017, Weller 2019). Yet Carl Von Cosel was unable to resist peeking at Elena Hoyos. He constantly applied disinfectants, deodorizer and formaldehyde to counteract the smells of putrefaction. Marias sister heard weird rumours about Carl. [1], The story of Tanzler and Elena would be reproduced in pulp magazines in the years following his death, with various parties adding new details to the case. 1982, pp. He moved to Miami, leaving Hoyos behind to her parents. Unfortunately for Carl, Maria did not reciprocate his romantic feelings, and turned down his proposals of marriage. There continued to be much conflict between him and Elenas family. In 1940, nine years after Elenas death, Tanzler was discovered by Nana to have taken Elenas body from the grave, reconstructed it with plastered wax and kept it at his residences, which included his wingless plane, a shack on the beach and a cottage in Flagler Avenue. There was an error deleting this problem. He poisons her he poisons her to kill her quicker so he can have her as his own. (1996). Maria Elena had a bit of a tragic life. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization.. Marias two sisters would later go on to die of tuberculosis, and her brother-in-law died while trying to save a construction worker from electrocution. His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. He would briskly stroll around town with a cane and show off wristwatches claiming to be commissioned to him by the Czar of Russia. What he did next is unthinkable, and he never really paid a price for it.Join Ash, Alaina and special guest, comedian Rachel O'brien, as we dig deep into Karl's crazy world. The extent of this has never been revealed fully, only that Tanzler had been interned in Australia as a prisoner-of-war for a time. Photo Credit: DeWolfe and Wood Collection in the Otto Hirzel Scrapbook CC BY 2.0 . He died under the name "Carl Tanzler". From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. GREAT NEWS! Tanzler himself would publish an account of this period in a 1939 publication of the Rosicrucian Digest (Tanzler von Cosel 1947, Harrison 1996, Meek 2017). Carl had basically abandoned his wife and children, and was more content living with a dead body than a live woman. Finding her safe, he remained with her for three years, witnessing the chaos that followed in the wake of the war. The Lost Diary of Count Von Cosel. She revealed her face to him in his dream, and Tanzler knew at that moment that this was the woman he was meant to marry. He died of an apparent suicide in his home in July of 1952 lying next to the death mask of his beloved. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Tanzler, with his self-professed medical knowledge, attempted to treat and cure Elena with a variety of medicines, as well as X-ray and electrical equipment, that were brought to the Hoyos' home. Her family agreed to let Tanzler attempt to treat her with various medicines, x-rays and other experimental cures. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher, 2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer, Earwolf & Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. He died in 1934, but his nephew is finally requesting for his body to be exhumed. He hoped she would return the same feelings. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Even though people agreed Tanzler committed a crime, many members of the public felt sympathetic towards him. It should be stated, he too had a wife and two young kids albeit he neglected to mention this in any of his writings. Tanzler emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1926, sailing from Rotterdam on February 6, 1926 to Havana, Cuba. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Elena was once again reduced to an object of spectacle, only this time she was a tourist attraction. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Dr. Peter Morrall (2006) broadly summarises that motives for murder can be condensed into four sets of Ls: Lust; Love; Loathing; and Loot. . In fact, he had escaped from an Australian internment camp during WWI by building a makeshift sailboat after secretly studying engineering books. Try again later. Try again later. Add to your scrapbook. [1][8], One evening in April 1933, Tanzler crept through the cemetery where Elena was buried and removed her body from the mausoleum, carting it through the cemetery after dark on a toy wagon, and transported it to his home. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Hed left them to search for his soulmate, which he found in Elena Hoyos. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Carl had to continuously preserve Marias decaying body, and mummification isnt easy. Separated from his dead love, Tanzler used a death mask to create a life-sized effigy of Maria de Hoyos and lived with it until his death. . Considered one of the most toxic herbs, it has been used as a deadly poison throughout history (Wood, Coulson, Thompson and Bonner 2020). Carl Tanzler was a German immigrant working at a Key West, Florida, hospital in the early 1930s. Michelfelder (1982) goes on to describe how the demolition worker and his supervisor found bottles full of this golden elixir fallen from the collapsed wall of Tanzlers former residence. According to Atlas Obscura, de Hoyos was then a 21-year-old Cuban native suffering from tuberculosis and came to the hospital for treatment. It is through several key pieces of research he came across and our correspondence on these that inspired and made this article a possibility. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. In 1940, it was finally over. It was estimated that she wouldnt have long to live, but Von Cosel disagreed. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. He paused in Australia to collect equipment and suitable boats, and to become acquainted with prevailing weather and sea conditions. Bienvenido Perez, in a later interview for Men True Adventure magazine (n.d.), would reveal much darker intentions on Tanzlers part. Tanzler immediately recognized her as the beautiful dark-haired woman that had been revealed to him in his earlier "visions. Carl had the nerve to ask them to return it back to him, but his request was rejected. He carried on his love affair with her corpse. The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel. 28, 67 69, Sagers, A. I thought you might like to see a memorial for Elena Hoyos I found on Findagrave.com. He was devastated. Tanzler (1947), in his memoirs, recalled being furious at not being informed sooner: In my desperation, I called out [to Elenas brother-in-law]: If only you had come to me half an hour earlier, perhaps it wouldnt have been too late. On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital in Key West, Tanzler met Maria Elena Milagro "Helen" de Hoyos (1909-1931), a local Cuban-American woman who had been brought to the hospital for an examination by her mother. Three years later a Cuban-American woman by the name of Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, was brought to the hospital by her mother for examination. Immortal Kisses Were His Goal. Before she died, Carl wrote in his journal how he had hopes that, despite the extensive damage, the lesions would heal again. But death was creeping up close and fast. These transgressions, like the ones committed against Elena, have been shrouded in secrecy due to the cultural biases towards and positions of the instigators involved. Many years ago, Carl von Cosel travelled from India to Australia with the intention of proceeding to the South Seas Islands. There is sufficient evidence to state that Tanzler, if not experiencing loathing towards Elena herself, experienced much loathing towards the people and situations around her. However, some people go above and beyond this promise. One even died from diphtheria whilst these events were unfolding (Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012). Surprisingly, a psychiatric evaluation by the court found Carl to be mentally competent. Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel by Flagler / Florida KeysPublic Librariess photostream / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. Loathing. Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loathing. Tanzler was not even with Elena at the time she died. By all appearances, she was an attractive dark haired beauty queen who often wore red roses in her hair, drawing the attention of strangers who desired to photograph and court her. Carl Tanzler administered these treatments in Hoyos family home, showering her with gifts and declaring his love all the while. He loved her, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his love. Elena, having been referred to the Marine Hospital for tests, was overseen by one radiologist, Carl Tanzler (1877 1952). He also claimed nine university degrees and self-titled himself Count von Cosel, taking the name of an alleged ancestor. Carl claimed Maria began talking to him from the other side, telling him she was afraid of decaying and rotting. All of the sources that make claims about this are modern. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. In 1930, while living in Key West, Florida, her mother took her to a hospital after she had taken ill. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis (which was then incurable) and checked into a facility where she stayed with other patients suffering the same disease. Tanzler was properly examined by a psychiatrist, who decided he was mentally competent to have a court trial. KQED reports that it's unknown how Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos felt about Carl Tanzler. The mausoleum Carl had Elena laid to rest in. Tanzlers body was discovered on the floor of his home. Swicegood, T. (2003). Carl Tanzler had the corpse wrapped in a dress, gloves, and jewelry, and placed the body in his own bed, which he shared with the corpse for the next seven years. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. In 1930, tuberculosis was an often fatal disease. Historically, the Cosel family seemed to be haunted by bad luck. [9] Elena's body was eventually returned to the Key West Cemetery where the remains were buried in an unmarked grave, in a secret location, to prevent further tampering. Little did they know, Elena, my darling, we are alone on this shore. Unfortunately, this would be the beginning of many tragedies for Elena; she miscarried the child and gradually fell ill with a cough. Try again later. To many bystanders, this would seem romantic, but nobody knew he had a key to her tomb and that he was secretly preserving her corpse. At home with her corpse, Carl set to work repairing the damage done by decomposition. The Countess had an interesting story herself; being the mistress of 18th century King Augustus II of Poland. I have sent you to the angels with my golden elixir (p. 7 8). He reportedly said he felt her spirit come to him when he sat by her tomb and serenaded her with her favorite Spanish song. Shortly after Elenas death, Tanzler talked the family into giving him residence in her room, paying them a fee of $20 a month (about $345 in todays money). 19: Count von Cosel & His Mummy Bride", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Carl_Tanzler&oldid=1140915722, Articles needing additional references from October 2021, All articles needing additional references, Articles with trivia sections from October 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Portions of the original memorial plaque that was commissioned by Tanzler and affixed to Elena Hoyos's mausoleum have been reassembled and are on display at the, True Crime Kent Podcast Episode Karl Tanzler, A Haunted History of Pasco County (Haunted America) by Madonna Jervis Wise; Arcadia Publishing. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. Her father had driven home at breakneck speed instead of driving to the nearby hospital, where we doctors might have saved her life (p.34). In April 1933, he removed her body from the mausoleum and transported it to his makeshift laboratory that also served as his home. Ironically, the man who prevented Maria from decomposing was himself rotting alone on the floor of his home for several weeks. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, known as Elena, walked into a Key West hospital suffering from a fatal infection of tuberculosis. When a Cuban-American woman named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos walked into the hospital, the doctor saw before him an actual dream come true. However, he never gave up on his one true love. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Change). All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization, but the statute of limitations saved him from prosecution. She told Von Cosel that he would marry a young woman who, Von Cosel decided, looked precisely like Elena Hoyos. Carl Von Cosel was nevertheless unsatisfied with the outcome of his trial. Join Ghost City Tours on one of our Ghost Tours and see what the excitment is all about! He showered her with jewelry and clothing, and he frequently professed his love to her. He had her coffin lined with formaldehyde and other preserving agents, and had a special key made for himself so he could come and go as he pleased. Learn about one of Key West's most haunted homes. Some asked if Key West could seal Elena within a glass case as a permanent exhibit. He dedicated all his time to curing her, or at least attempting to do so. Eventually, this was not enough. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? 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