The strange death mask was put on public display as the story became legend. The name aconite itself is derived from the Ancient Greek word akontion, meaning dart, as arrows were often mixed with aconite to create a poisonous weapon. Georg Carl Tnzler (also known as Count Carl von Cosel (February 8, 1877 July 3, 1952), was a German-born radiology technologist at the Marine-Hospital Service in Key West, Florida. Her body was finally laid to rest once and for all in an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery. He lavished her with gifts, and professed his undying love, telling her he would love and care for her even if she died. He then placed Elena Hoyos on his canopied bed, serenading her with a small, church organ. [The magazine] has a story called Floridas Dr. Frankenstein and his Laboratory of Love. In Carl's autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Maria's cadaver. Shes not dying fast enough. He also made countless proposals of marriage towards Elena, starting the night her older sister Florinda Nana Medina (1906 1944) was wed. Elenas mother protested and kicked Tanzler out of the family home (Tanzler von Cosel 1947, Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012). Hoyos body was placed on display at a local funeral home, where nearly 7,000 people came to see the corrupted corpse for themselves. Von Cosel asked the family if he could keep Elena's body in a casket filled with formaldehyde to preserve her. She came into the hospital he worked at due to contracting tuberculosis. But thats easier said than done, right? Like most patients, Hoyos was scared of the illness and the treatment. Despite the lack of qualifications needed to treat a tuberculosis patient, Tanzler was determined to save Hoyos and used a variety of specially-made tonics, elixirs, and medicines in an effort to do so. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, The Unwilling Corpse Bride With Special Guest Rachel O'Brien. While no existing contemporary photographs of the autopsy or photographs taken at the public display show a tube, the necrophilia claim was repeated by the HBO Autopsy program in 1999.[10]. With the consent of her family, Carl paid for Marias funeral and erected an elaborate mausoleum for her corpse. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. He loved her, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his love. Tanzler also used copious amounts of perfume, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor and forestall the effects of the corpse's decomposition. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. He dedicated all his time to curing her, or at least attempting to do so. He thought of everything to make sure he could continue living with her corpsefor seven years! He developed an obsession with a young Cuban-American tuberculosis patient, Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (July 31, 1909 October 25, 1931), that carried on well after her death. Detective Cases, Jun. In 1940, Floridas infamous necrophile went on trial for desecrating the body of Elena Hoyos. Carl Tanzler was a German immigrant working at a Key West, Florida, hospital in the early 1930s. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. How can these immense, unfounded claims be made? Thats a pretty harsh breakup, isnt it? Like some medieval wizard, Carl conjured up odd concoctions, potions, tonics, elixirs, and herbs in order to treat her TB. Join Ghost City Tours on one of our Ghost Tours and see what the excitment is all about! 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. But death was creeping up close and fast. Nosy neighbours who peered through Carls window saw him dancing with the figure of a woman, and some thought it was a large doll. [1], Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse. 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. At sixteen, she was married to Luis Mesa (1908-?) Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Bienvenido Perez, in a later interview for Men True Adventure magazine (n.d.), would reveal much darker intentions on Tanzlers part. This browser does not support getting your location. (p. 54). As of that day, he was fifty-three years old and Elena was close to twenty-one. He carried on his love affair with her corpse. He had just begun to build a trans-ocean flyer when the war broke out and the British military authorities placed him in a concentration camp for 'safe-keeping' along with many officers India and China who were prisoners of war. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23114033/elena-hoyos. On February 18, 1926, Elena married Luis Mesa (19081974), the son of Caridad and Isaac Mesa. The disease would later claim the lives of almost everyone in Hoyos immediate family, including her sister, Florinda Nana Milagro Hoyos. Elena died on 25th October 1931 at the age of twenty-two. 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. Add to your scrapbook. 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. This engraving with Elenas name can now be found at the Fort Martello Museum in Key West. He lost time trying all doctors in town but none at home. Hey Spooksters! More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. Considered one of the most toxic herbs, it has been used as a deadly poison throughout history (Wood, Coulson, Thompson and Bonner 2020). His subsequent actions would be the ones that brought this story to public infamy. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos (1910-1931) died of tuberculosis and her body was preserved by Carl Tanzler (1877-1952) who was one of her physicians. On October 25, 1931, Elena died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two. Over seven thousand visitors arrived, each desperate to peek at this well-preserved woman. This went on for two years. And when he proposed marriage, she always told him You are too old. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, Did the Wolves Ever Leave the Hen House? Meek (2017) quotes an interview Elenas sister Nana gave to the Miami Herald: [Elena] never loved [Tanzler]. She was never able to unearth her sisters gravesite Carl Von Cosel was eager to show Elenas sister Elena himself. Unfortunately for them both, Tanzlers prognosis for young Hoyos was not great, having diagnosed her with tuberculosis, which was still considered to be a fatal disease in the early 1900s. Today, it seems even the dead body is no longer respected. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. In 1940, when her sister Nana confronted him about taking her body, Tanzler as equally as vehement, making statements such as, [Elena] is an angel, but not you (p. 68), You never looked after her for the past nine years, she has been under my care all these years. According to Atlas Obscura, de Hoyos was then a 21-year-old Cuban native suffering from tuberculosis and came to the hospital for treatment. I have paid for all her expenses, not you! Although he tried to stop her disintegration with embalming fluids, her body continued to decay. Carl Von Cosel decided that he was in love. Wild ass Carl, Elena before her passing, Elena's body w/ death mask, Carl replaces Elenas eyes, Elena's body 2. He allegedly professed his love for her and showered her with gifts, but there's no record of her ever returning his sentiments. I had hopes that, when Elena was out of danger, we would get married. [1], The facts underlying the case and the preliminary hearing drew much interest from the media at the time (most notably, from the Key West Citizen and Miami Herald), and created a sensation among the public, both regionally and nationwide. However, his wife Doris Shafer (1889 1977) and other extended family members would state that Tanzler had no royal lineage whatsoever and that his title was merely one he created himself. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. Thanks for your help! There was a problem getting your location. She reported him to the police, and Carl was arrested. He reportedly said he felt her spirit come to him when he sat by her tomb and serenaded her with her favorite Spanish song. Arriving authorities quickly determined that this doll was, in fact, Hoyos herself, and they arrested Tanzler for grave robbing. Years later he was found living in a house near the sea and through an investigation by Elena's sister, it was found that he had been living with her corpse, preserving it with oiled silk and wax to slow the decomposition. Elena was eventually diagnosed with tuberculosis, a typically fatal disease at the time, that eventually claimed the lives of almost all of her immediate family. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. (1996). Please try again later. From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. A devastated Tanzler made a death mask of her and told her family that he would pay for her funeral and . 22nd April 1930 would turn out to be a very fateful day. For his final diary entry, Carl had written: Human jealousy has robbed me of the body of my Elena, yet divine happiness is flowing through me for she has survived death. 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. Carl could not get over Marias death, so he decided to pursue her from beyond the grave. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Finally, I want to acknowledge Elena herself. 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. Accounts show she led the normal life of a teenager in the 1920s. Instead, Marias mummified remains were put on display at Dean-Lopez Funeral Home. They called him an eccentric romantic and felt sorry for his psychological disorder. As they autopsy her body, for a second time, they discovered that she was removed from her tomb two years after her burial. Tanzler became enamored with her, and took an overly keen interest in her care, despite not having any idea on how to treat tuberculosis. The first of many details was revealed by Dr. Julio DePoo in 1972. Historically, the Cosel family seemed to be haunted by bad luck. He showered her with luxurious treats, hoping that Elena would accept his hand in marriage. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. It is through several key pieces of research he came across and our correspondence on these that inspired and made this article a possibility. Instead of a cure, she found a radiologist named Karl Tanzler who instantly became obsessed with her. He created a life-like effigy and mask of her face, to replace the confiscated cadaver. Nor was he with her just before. Despite everything, the statute of limitations had expired for the crime he was accused of committing, leaving Tanzler free to go. They were unaware that the doctor had found sperm inside Elenas corpse, clear evidence of necrophilia. Hoyos was suffering from tuberculosis, and despite Tanzler's efforts, she passed at 22 years old. But why? All of Elenas immediate family had also passed away from tuberculosis by this point (Harrison 1996). Learn more about merges. Tanzler immediately recognized Hoyos as the woman from his dream. 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