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. When she passed away in 1931 from tuberculosis, Tanzler refused to leave her side. He wrote his autobiography in 1947, and received American citizenship in 1950, because whats more American than defiling a dead body? She was diagnosed with fast-acting tuberculosis. He substituted her empty sockets with glass eyes. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, known as Elena, walked into a Key West hospital suffering from a fatal infection of tuberculosis. Finally, I want to acknowledge Elena herself. No matter how hard Tanzler tried, he couldnt save Hoyos. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. He loved her, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his love. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Florinda notified the authorities, and Tanzler was arrested and detained. ", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Martello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical Museum, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, "Autopsy 6: Secrets of the Dead - The Strange Obsession of Dr. Carl Von Cosel", "The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel", "Ep. Medina, Nana's husband, was electrocuted trying to rescue a coworker who hit a powerline with his crane at a construction site. His obituary said that a metal cylinder on a shelf above a table in it wrapped in silken cloth and a robe was a waxen image.. Tanzler ignored the Marine Hospitals protocol for relationships between doctors and patients, and he became obsessed with Hoyos. Learn how your comment data is processed. She died at her parents home in Key West on October 25, 1931, at just 22 years old. One night in 1933, he snuck her body out from the mausoleum in a toy wheelbarrow, and took her home with him. You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by accepting, ignoring or dismissing this notice. He kept a wingless airplane on the hospital grounds that he called Countess Elena and claimed they would someday fly away together (he also claimed the plane would be amphibious and that it would sail on water as well as fly). It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. Mesa left for Miami, leaving Elena alone as her illness worsened (Harrison 1996). Elena was legally married to Mesa at the time of her death. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Accounts show she led the normal life of a teenager in the 1920s. 1 and 2. Like most patients, Hoyos was scared of the illness and the treatment. He died under the name "Carl Tanzler". Now Ive found her, and Ill kill her, if necessary, to fulfil my destiny! (p. 68), There was this and another statement from Nana Medina in the Miami Herald where she told of how Tanzler had warned her father if there was not a wedding in the family soon, there would be a funeral. Su padre, Francisco Pancho Hoyos, haba amasado una fortuna. She went over to his home to confront him, and found out his terrible secret. The former three, as he describes them, are quite applicable to Tanzler. In any case, Hoyos was determined to have tuberculosis, which was deadly in those days. Authorities took Elena from him. (1996). Elena Hoyos. Tennessean Sun. She was only 22. Unfortunately for Carl, Maria did not reciprocate his romantic feelings, and turned down his proposals of marriage. Victorians described consumption as an illness that heightened the elegance and refinement of its victim, and that it was tragically beautiful to waste away with pallor and fragility. Hoyos body was placed on display at a local funeral home, where nearly 7,000 people came to see the corrupted corpse for themselves. As they autopsy her body, for a second time, they discovered that she was removed from her tomb two years after her burial. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Her body was finally laid to rest once and for all in an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery. Phantom Press. 36 37. Carl Tanzler was a German immigrant working at a Key West, Florida, hospital in the early 1930s. This one had a story in it somebody was renovating a cottage and when they tore down the wall, they found a confession note. At the end of the war no prisoner was permitted to return to his former residence, but all were shipped to the prisoner's exchange in Holland. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. 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. All of Elenas immediate family had also passed away from tuberculosis by this point (Harrison 1996). Whichs been recounted a million and one times. But death was creeping up close and fast. He claimed he was the most knowledgeable about tuberculosis and he treated her with a variety of medicines, as well as x-ray and electrical equipment. Thus, they found it odd that Tanzler stopped visiting the mausoleum two years after her death. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. The German-born Tanzler moved to the United States in 1926 and began working at a Key West hospital. 17 Feb. 2017, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/610/grand-gesture, Michelfelder, W. Floridas Dr. Frankenstein and His Love Laboratory. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Forever and ever she is with me. Tanzler insisted on purchasing a pricey stone mausoleum in Key West Cemetery for her remains to lay, and with her parents permission, hired a mortician to prepare her body before locking her inside. She was part of one of the most bizarre love stories in history. John Dillinger was a gangster during the Great Depression. There, she found what she believed to be a life-sized effigy of her departed sister. To her parents, this was a kind gesture, but this was only where the obsession began. It was there that he fell in love with a young Cuban-American woman named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos. Tanzler added copious amounts of perfumes, flowers, disinfectants, and preserving agents to keep the rotting odor at bay, and routinely applied morticians wax to Hoyos face in an effort to keep her alive.. He stuffed her body with rags, waxed the skin with plaster of Paris, and even fitted the face with glass eyes. These cookies do not store any personal information. Tanzler would quickly take advantage of this privilege, which would result in one of the most macabre tales of all time. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Eventually, the corpse was reburried to an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery, and Maria de Hoyos was finally able to rest in peace. He showered her with luxurious treats, hoping that Elena would accept his hand in marriage. His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. 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. His negative publicity was a small price to pay for such an excessively grotesque desecration. Morrall, Dr. P. Murder and Society: why commit Murder? Criminal Justice Matters, 66:1, 2006, pp. Resend Activation Email. There, he looked to a number of DIY tricks to keep the young womans decaying body intact, including plaster of Paris and glass eyes to maintain the integrity of her face, as well as coat hangers and other wires to stabilize her skeletal frame. For some reason, Marias mother possessed a wig made out of her daughters hair, and she gifted this to Carl. (LogOut/ Mara Elena "Helen" Hoyos A principios del siglo XX nace una hija de inmigrantes cubanos llamada Mara Elena Milagro-Hoyos. But unfortunately, this was a true story. While there is not much written in the way of Tanzler feeling anything described as loathing towards Elena directly, (extreme disgust as per the Merriam-Webster dictionary), his relationship with her family was often very adversarial. Learn more about merges. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. 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. Survivors include her daughter, Susan McKee, Zephyrhills; two sons, Jon Clendening, Portland, Oregon, and Gary Clendening, Hallowell, Maine; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. The topic she has chosen for us is about Carl Tanzler aka Count Carl von Cosel and his obsession with the beautiful Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos aka Elena. And when she fell ill and her mother brought her into Marine Hospital in April of 1930, the disease would prove to be fatal. 7 9, 54 61. She had come to the Marine Hospital for treatment of tuberculosis. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos married Luis Roberto "Louis" Mesa. (LogOut/ Tanzler became enamored with her, and took an overly keen interest in her care, despite not having any idea on how to treat tuberculosis. If youre craving for a new Lifetime movie to watch, look no further. I had hopes that, when Elena was out of danger, we would get married. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Before she died, Carl wrote in his journal how he had hopes that, despite the extensive damage, the lesions would heal again. Strong words from a man who was already technically rejected by Maria several times. Leaving his family behind in Zephyrhills in 1927, he took a job as a radiology technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Key West, Florida under the name Carl von Cosel. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Tanzler tried his best to cure Hoyos. Helen had . The list is numerous and was all justified by Tanzler in the name of love. All right reserved. She came into the hospital he worked at due to contracting tuberculosis. Sources differ (Tanzler von Cosel 1947, Perez 1952, Michelfelder 1982, Swicegood 2003) on when exactly he did this but the more respected tellings of this story (Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012) state this occurred in 1933. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Everyones heard the phrase until death parts us. Couples make this vow and they promise to love each other for the rest of their lives. Mrs. C.S. Fifty years ago she appeared to me in a vision, and she promised then to be my bride. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. + Sloan, D.L. He would personally transport her body by airplane, where Carl Von Cosel believed he could restore her life. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. That seems extremely dubious. He even bought her a mahogany bed, which would become her deathbed. Provoked by Von Cosels unapologetic behavior, the judge decided to bury Elena in an unmarked grave. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Together they had two children: Ayesha Tanzler (19221998), and Clarista Tanzler (19241934), who died of diphtheria.[7]. The jig was up, and authorities confiscated the corpse. The disease would later claim the lives of almost everyone in Hoyos immediate family, including her sister, Florinda Nana Milagro Hoyos. 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. In their case report of an aconite overdose, Wood et al. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. [1], Tanzler attached the corpse's bones together with piano wire and fitted the face with glass eyes. Following his sentence, Tanzler asked if Hoyos body could be returned to him, but he was denied access. . As Meek (2017) puts it, [Elena is] paradoxically at the center of this story and utterly left out. The strange death mask was put on public display as the story became legend. Ten years before Elenas birth, Von Cosels ancestor had appeared to him as an apparition. Fans of Tanzler travelled to give him treats, public sympathy portrayed him as an eccentric romantic, an attorney offered to represent him pro bono and Elenas body was put on public display to be viewed by over 6,850 people at the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home (Tanzler von Cosel 1947, Michelfelder 1982, Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012, Meek 2017). To his absolute horror, Elenas putrefied body had begun to deteriorate. 2022 Ghost City, Ghost City Tours. Her mother was worried about her declining health, but neither of them probably thought Tanzler would take an interest in her. Men True Adventure, n.d, pp. It has been reported that Tanzler somehow still switched the bodies, or that Hoyos remains were secretly returned to him. Thrive MarketTry Thrive Market and become a member risk-free! This American Life. The middle of three daughters to a cigar maker and homemaker, Elena had a beauty that didn't go unnoticed. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. I also want to give great credit to Ben Harrison as one of the most prominent writers and researchers on this story, he was one of the first to bring it to the modern age with his book Undying Love. Nevertheless, Elena refused Carl Von Cosels proposal. Hey Spooksters! Not surprisingly, he was still obsessed. Now that she was dead, she could not protest. He adopted his official nickname, Count Carl von Cosel. They found police logs from the period which described the aforementioned seizure, Tanzlers threat to Elenas father and testimonies from people in her neighbourhood that in the week before Elenas death, he had persuaded her to swallow double doses of his elixir, whichMichelfelder (1982) writes to have contained: 70 percent distilled water, 20 percent gold shavings, fruit favouring and just enough deadly poison to effect [sic] a slow death. Tanzler loved everything about Hoyos. Although the affections were one sided, when Elena passed away a couple of months later, Karl just couldn't let his soulmate go. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. It is through several key pieces of research he came across and our correspondence on these that inspired and made this article a possibility. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. While he had a family of his own, he was still disappointed that he hadnt met the woman of his dreams. Elenas doctors decided to not disclose possibly the most disturbing discovery they had made until after Carls death. A system error has occurred. This love made him determined to keep his patient alive, which he attempted to do quite literally by removing her corpse from the mausoleum it was housed in and holding it together with coat hangers, wax, and silk. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. April October 2019. https://masonholdings.org/radio-hour/Wood, C. Coulson J. Thompson S. + Bonner, S. An Intentional Aconite Overdose: A Case Study. Tanzler had had visions since childhood of a dark-haired woman who was destined to be his true love. Normally you dont get any new information [about the story]. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization.. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Year should not be greater than current year. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Now the big necrophilia question arises: did he or didnt he? American Hauntings writes that it's unlikely she ever requited his affections. In 1940, Floridas infamous necrophile went on trial for desecrating the body of Elena Hoyos. He was not short on money either, as he had been receiving a pension from the military for his involvement in World War 1. Elena remained with Carl Von Cosel for seven years. Those sensitive to spiritual energies claim that Elena Hoyos poltergeist haunts the funeral home of Bahama Lane. Carl Tanzler actually received quite a bit of compassion during his trial, with some even viewing him as a hopeless albeit eccentric romantic. To some, it is the ultimate romance, and to others, it is a grotesque tale of violation. It was the biggest media frenzy of its day. Teachers brought their students for field trips; journalists arrived to report on the most unbelievable story in the world. Considered one of the most toxic herbs, it has been used as a deadly poison throughout history (Wood, Coulson, Thompson and Bonner 2020). He restored her corpse, then kept her cadaver for seven years. [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. Tanzler also used perfume, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor of Hoyos decomposition. The article in question, written by William Michelfelder (1982), opens as follows: the first page [of the journal] read clearly She died because I gave this to her mercifully. She was only nice to him because my mother told her she should be kind to those who were kind to her. 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Worried about her declining health, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his Laboratory... To his absolute horror, Elenas putrefied body had begun to deteriorate in 1950, maria elena milagro de hoyos autopsy photos whats more than. On this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you.! American citizenship in 1950, because whats more American than defiling a body., known as Elena, walked into a Key West Cemetery wife,. Elena was legally married to Mesa at the center of this privilege which! Made until after Carls death wrote his autobiography in 1947, and one or more numbers or special.. His love Laboratory had visions since childhood of a dark-haired woman who was destined be.
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