In 2003, two bands released their musical interpretations of the Tanzler story, In 2008, the Swedish band ChansoNoir released the EP. Tanzler tried his best to cure Hoyos. Which theory do you think best explains the Iraq War? This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Headlines like A Key West Story of Necrophilic Love, Undying Love, and A Grave Affair proliferated newspapers, immortalizing the infamous necrophile. It seemed to be someone admitting to killing someone. iUniverse. Mesa left for Miami, leaving Elena alone as her illness worsened (Harrison 1996). Carl Von Cosels only solution was to steal her remains. Forever and ever, she is with me.. Meek (2017) quotes an interview Elenas sister Nana gave to the Miami Herald: [Elena] never loved [Tanzler]. You can be sure that everything that you did was sane. Mesa left Elena shortly after she suffered a miscarriage of the couple's child, and moved to Miami. Failed to remove flower. Go to ThriveMarket.com/MORBID. Elena did not reciprocate Tanzlers feelings whatsoever. She went over to his home to confront him, and found out his terrible secret. Harrison, B. Meek, M. 610: Grand Gestures. His subsequent actions would be the ones that brought this story to public infamy. 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. 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. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. To her parents, this was a kind gesture, but this was only where the obsession began. This account has been disabled. Nor was he with her just before. Sloan, D,L. Dr. Peter Morrall (2006) broadly summarises that motives for murder can be condensed into four sets of Ls: Lust; Love; Loathing; and Loot. He had become smitten with the frail, Hispanic beauty, and even alleged that he recognized her from a dream. [1][8] Tanzler showered Elena with gifts of jewelry and clothing, and allegedly professed his love to her, but no evidence has surfaced to show that any of his affection was reciprocated by Elena. That seems extremely dubious. She was said to be extremely beautiful, shy and an accomplished singer, to the point where tourists would ask for pictures with her in the street. The German-born Tanzler moved to the United States in 1926 and began working at a Key West hospital. He searched for her, but he could never meet the woman he saw in his dream. Tuberculosis was after all, considered an incurable disease in 1931 and it was the number one cause of death in Key West at the time (Harrison 1996). Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. On October 24, 2013, the case of Carl Tanzler was featured on, In 2015, the story of Tanzler and Elena Hoyos was featured in an, In 2020, Tanzler's story was featured on an episode entitled "Cryptic Messages" of the, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 11:56. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Although he tried to stop her disintegration with embalming fluids, her body continued to decay. Now two years deceased, Carl Tanzler was left with the task of maintaining Hoyos corpse. This would not be the end of Tanzlers obsession. The following "Editorial Note" accompanying the autobiographical account "The Trial Bay Organ: A Product of Wit and Ingenuity" by "Carl von Cosel" in the Rosicrucian Digest[3] of March and April 1939, gives details about his stay in Australia before his internment during the Great War, as well as his subsequent return to Germany after the War:[4][5]. A devastated Tanzler made a death mask of her and told her family that he would pay for her funeral and . . Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Carl Tanzler actually received quite a bit of compassion during his trial, with some even viewing him as a hopeless albeit eccentric romantic. Word caught on that Carl Von Cosel was acting erratically, so Elenas sister decided to investigate. Thanks for your help! Instead, he found plenty of things to do, including fashioning a wig for her once her hair fell out of her decomposing scalp. 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. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. This is a carousel with slides. Maria Elena lies in some unmarked Floridian grave, in an 18 inch casket. Tuesday, October 6, 2009 Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos Most people have never heard of her. He transported Elena to his laboratory in the fuselage of a wingless airplane, covertly relocating her body to Rest Beach. 2, 2020, pp. The Lost Diary of Count Von Cosel. They were comforted by his invention, hoping that perhaps Elena could survive. Try again. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos married Luis Roberto "Louis" Mesa. On April 22, 1930, Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos came to him for an examination and he was persuaded that she was the lady in his dreams. Elena died on 25th October 1931 at the age of twenty-two. Fifty years ago she appeared to me in a vision, and she promised then to be my bride. Cosel fell in love with her despite the fact that she was legally married. On October 25, 1931, Elena died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two. 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. In the early 1900s, approximately 110,000 Americans would die each year from tuberculosis. Just 21 years old, and 32 years younger than Tanzler, Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos was brought to the hospital for an examination. With pretty much the entire town talking about the reclusive man often seen buying womens clothing and perfume on top of one local boys account of witnessing the doctor dancing with what appeared to be a giant doll Hoyos family began to suspect that something was off. Elena was the daughter of local cigar maker Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos (18831934) and Aurora Milagro (18811940). It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. 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). Most curiously, he had made a death mask of her face to preserve her beauty. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? He loved her, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his love. Please enter your email and password to sign in. 6, no. Immortal Kisses Were His Goal. He adopted his official nickname, Count Carl von Cosel. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. A local Cuban- American woman by the name of Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos was brought into the hospital by her mother for an examination. The Key West Citizen, 15 Aug. 1952, p. 1 + 4, Perez, B. 1982, pp. While working at the U.S. Marine Hospital, on April 22, 1930, Carl Tanzler came face to face with the woman of his dreams. Eventually, the corpse was reburried to an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery, and Maria de Hoyos was finally able to rest in peace. 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. He had her torso stuffed with rags in an attempt to preserve its original form, and he covered her scalp with bits of real hair. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Von Cosel asked the family if he could keep Elena's body in a casket filled with formaldehyde to preserve her. After reading about the perverse love of Carl Tanzler, brush up on macabre marriages with the Chinese ritual of ghost brides. Learn about the chilling embalmed corpse of the blushing bride La Pascualita. 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. p. 1 + 19. They even resisted Tanzlers ministrations to where they moved house, neglecting to tell him of their new residence. Tanzler, an eccentric character, carried himself with a high sense of self-importance. Unfortunately for Carl, Maria did not reciprocate his romantic feelings, and turned down his proposals of marriage. [1][8], Despite Tanzler's best efforts, Elena died of tuberculosis at her parents' home in Key West on October 25, 1931. He would buy her gifts and dote on her, and did everything in his power to heal her, but she succumbed to the illness. He constantly applied disinfectants, deodorizer and formaldehyde to counteract the smells of putrefaction. Happy for him, she decided to visit him and congratulate him on his relationship. The case was now the center of a media circus, and 6,800 spectators came to gawk at the macabre spectacle, paying $1 each for the privilege. Marias life was not going well. Whitfield Funeral Home, Zephyrhills. In any case, Hoyos was determined to have tuberculosis, which was deadly in those days. Thus, they found it odd that Tanzler stopped visiting the mausoleum two years after her death. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. "[8] By all accounts, Hoyos was viewed as a local beauty in Key West.[1][8][9]. Bizzarrepedia Carls madness was discovered. 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. Eventually, this was not enough. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. He continued to leave gifts at her graveside eerie offerings to his lifeless lover, excessive treasures to the object of his affections. Elena remained with Carl Von Cosel for seven years. However, some people go above and beyond this promise. Authorities took Elena from him. For nearly 22 years, she had been the focus of his life, alive or dead. Now that she was dead, she could not protest. Check out Rachel's pod/comedy! A defeated Carl shuffled off to Pasco County, Florida to patch together some semblance of a life. This [incident] makes so much sense. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. 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. 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 about how to make the most of a memorial. Weve updated the security on the site. Tanzler ignored the Marine Hospitals protocol for relationships between doctors and patients, and he became obsessed with Hoyos. Survivors include her daughter, Susan McKee, Zephyrhills; two sons, Jon Clendening, Portland, Oregon, and Gary Clendening, Hallowell, Maine; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. While Elena was undergoing agonizing death, Von Cosel supplied her with perfume, jewelry, fruits, and candies. Even though people agreed Tanzler committed a crime, many members of the public felt sympathetic towards him. Ten years before Elenas birth, Von Cosels ancestor had appeared to him as an apparition. Like some medieval wizard, Carl conjured up odd concoctions, potions, tonics, elixirs, and herbs in order to treat her TB. And when he proposed marriage, she always told him You are too old. 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. He believed he had finally found her in Elena. Before she died, Carl wrote in his journal how he had hopes that, despite the extensive damage, the lesions would heal again. So much so that Elena was said to have died hating Tanzler. Hed left them to search for his soulmate, which he found in Elena Hoyos. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. Mencken Quotes On Politics, Religion, And The American Public, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. He would use this wig on Marias corpse, as the decomposition process had caused her hair to fall out. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos [ edit] On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital in Key West, Tanzler met Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (1909-1931), a local Cuban-American woman who had been brought to the hospital by her mother for an examination. 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 From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. Tanzler emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1926, sailing from Rotterdam on February 6, 1926 to Havana, Cuba. The Count [Tanzler] is in love, hes a much older man in love with a young girl who wants nothing to do with him. Death . He also said he had nine university diplomas. He thought of everything to make sure he could continue living with her corpsefor seven years! 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. More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. A psychiatric evaluation determined that Tanzler was competent to stand trial, although some reports state that his ultimate plans involved flying Hoyos, high into the stratosphere so that radiation from outer space could penetrate her tissues and restore life to her somnolent form.. After Von Cosel's arrest, Key West put Elena's body on exhibit. 22nd April 1930 would turn out to be a very fateful day. Loathing: Lethal hate directed towards one person, group, culture or nation (Morrall 2006, p. 36). It turns out that Carl Von Cosel was married with children the entire time. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. For the past eighty years, the story of Elena Hoyos has been told primarily through the point-of-view of Carl Tanzler, a man who portrayed himself as so in love he could not bear to live without her. Medina, Nana's husband, was electrocuted trying to rescue a coworker who hit a powerline with his crane at a construction site. Upon returning home, Tanzler married and had two children in 1920, and the family emigrated to Zephyrhills, Florida. He died of an apparent suicide in his home in July of 1952 lying next to the death mask of his beloved. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos was a 21-year-old Cuban American beauty. (b. All right reserved. She was his soulmate and he would do whatever it took to always be by her side. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. She attracted a fair share of admirers. As Elena and her family were poor, they were initially willing to accept this offer. He inserted glass eyes into her orbitals, and replaced her rotting skin with silk cloth coated by plaster of paris and wax. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Before leaving, he dynamite bombed the mausoleum he had created for Maria, to spite authorities. He was a radiologist or x-ray technician. The jig was up, and authorities confiscated the corpse. Its two associated names, monkshood and wolfsbane, come from its appearance and its use by shepherds to kill wolves respectively. Tanzler had had visions since childhood of a dark-haired woman who was destined to be his true love. The middle of three daughters to a cigar maker and homemaker, Elena had a beauty that didn't go unnoticed. He showered her with jewelry and clothing, and he frequently professed his love to her. Folk figure. I have paid for all her expenses, not you! Surprisingly, there are no contemporary sources that mention anything about necrophilia. He died in the arms of Hoyos real body. Today, it seems even the dead body is no longer respected. He poisons her he poisons her to kill her quicker so he can have her as his own. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Oddly enough, the public found Carl to be a sympathetic figure; a tragic romantic who had lost his beloved to cruel fate. Whats more, I do not love you. He became so persistent that we asked him to stay away from the house.. Carl Von Cosel decided that he was in love. (2012). His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital, Tanzler met the one person in his life he had been searching for since he was 12 years old: his soulmate. In Carl's autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Maria's cadaver. 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. Helen had . Forever and ever she is with me. 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. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (1909 - 1931) Photos: 4 Records: 23 Born in Key West, Monroe County, Florida on 31 July 1909 to Francisco "Pancho" Frank Hoyos and Aurora Sifontes. He lost time trying all doctors in town but none at home. Little did they know, Elena, my darling, we are alone on this shore. Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel by Flagler / Florida KeysPublic Librariess photostream / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. Weller, T. The Lost Diaries of Elena Hoyos Vols. It is perfectly wonderful that you had such a strong love for the girl in this case. Lets hope that theyre mistaken and that Elena Hoyos has finally found peace in her second grave. Elena was once again reduced to an object of spectacle, only this time she was a tourist attraction. Hoyos was suffering from tuberculosis, and despite Tanzler's efforts, she passed at 22 years old. Carl spent hours at Marias gravesite everyday, talking to her corpse, singing songs to her, reading stories, and other crazy activities that are best left unspoken. Determined to save his newfound paramour, Von Cosel connected her wasting body to his homemade contraption. Tanzler didnt seem to get bored living with Hoyos corpse. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. During his childhood in Germany, and later while traveling briefly in Genoa, Italy, Tanzler claimed to have been visited by visions of a dead, purported ancestor, Countess Anna Constantia von Cosel, who revealed the face of his true love, an exotic dark-haired woman, to him. The Mad Scientist of Key West. His negative publicity was a small price to pay for such an excessively grotesque desecration. He also built and interred Elena in an elaborate mausoleum, which he visited every night for two years, constantly bought gifts and even installed a telephone. In 1952, Tanzler was found dead by police on the floor of his home next to a wax replica of Elena. Carl had the nerve to ask them to return it back to him, but his request was rejected. Born in Key West in 1909, the daughter of a cigar maker and a homemaker, Hoyos was raised in a large family and was brought to the hospital by her mother after becoming ill. The medical degrees, licences and medals bestowed upon him were all proven to be forged, though he was considered well-read on medicine, radiology and x-ray technology (Michelfelder 1982). Thats a pretty harsh breakup, isnt it? She was only nice to him because my mother told her she should be kind to those who were kind to her. Accessed 11 Feb. 2021. The additional findings presented in this article elevate this sinisterness yet again, as now there is evidence which strongly suggests that Tanzler had actually killed Elena himself. Elenas married name (and she was still legally married at the time of her death), Mesa, was not engraved on the tombstone, however, on the bottom corner, Ct. 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. 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. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. To some, it is the ultimate romance, and to others, it is a grotesque tale of violation. Shes not dying fast enough. Tanzler was undeterred though and searched the streets every night until a sympathetic neighbour told him of the location. Please try again later. Click here for instructions on how to enable JavaScript in your browser. She was still so young. Her mother was worried about her declining health, but neither of them probably thought Tanzler would take an interest in her. Tuberculosis was one of the most prominent causes of death at the time and cigar factories like where Elenas father worked was where the disease was spreading. The public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as an eccentric "romantic". If they only knew what was going on inside his home. It can be awakened. KQED reports that it's unknown how Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos felt about Carl Tanzler. He kept her body in his bed, where he slept beside her every night. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher, 2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer, Earwolf & Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. Many years ago, Carl von Cosel travelled from India to Australia with the intention of proceeding to the South Seas Islands. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Together they had two children: Ayesha Tanzler (19221998), and Clarista Tanzler (19241934), who died of diphtheria.[7]. The family, considering Elena was fatally ill at this point, conceded. He restored her corpse, then kept her cadaver for 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. He was listed as Carl Tanzler von Cosel on his United States citizenship papers, and he was listed as Carl Tanzler on his Florida death certificate. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. No matter how hard Tanzler tried, he couldnt save Hoyos. Carl Tanzler administered these treatments in Hoyos family home, showering her with gifts and declaring his love all the while. [12][13] An article written by Michelfelder in 1982 tells of how renovation workers found a note allegedly written by Tanzler, confessing to have killed Elena by poisoning her:[13]. 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. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Tanzler went by many names; he was listed as Georg Karl Tnzler on his German marriage certificate. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos' family knew of Carl Tanzler's infatuation, per Atlas Obscura. She was his soulmate, so he created a life-size doll from a death mask that closely resembled his favorite woman. In Episode 44 of the NightMerica podcast, released 3rd February 2021, David L. Sloan gave an interview to Aaron Sagers about the story, and discusses an article he found in the Detective Cases magazine, published in 1982. A psychiatric evaluation of Tanzler stated that he was in a borderline state but otherwise sane and mentally competent (Meek 2017). Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Not until recently. Maria Elena Milagro Hoyos (1909 1931), more commonly referred to as Elena, was the middle born Cuban-American child of Francisco Hoyos (1883 1934) and Aurora Milagro (1881 1940) in Key West, Florida. This one had a story in it somebody was renovating a cottage and when they tore down the wall, they found a confession note. (LogOut/ I have sent you to the angels with my golden elixir (p. 7 8). . They called him an eccentric romantic and felt sorry for his psychological disorder. [1] In 1933, almost two years after her death, Tanzler removed Hoyos' body from its tomb, and lived with the corpse at his home for seven years until its discovery by Hoyos' relatives and authorities in 1940.[2]. And when she fell ill and her mother brought her into Marine Hospital in April of 1930, the disease would prove to be fatal. [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. Carl Tanzler. Mason Holdings Radio Hour. 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. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He then placed Elena Hoyos on his canopied bed, serenading her with a small, church organ. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. Interested in learning more about the most haunted places on the Island? He had also used flowers and other scents to keep out the odor. Elenas family had instructed Tanzler to stay away following these marriage proposals and also because of their dislike of the unorthodox devil machines used by him in his treatments of Elena. 28, 67 69, Sagers, A. Maria would soon become the object of somebodys very morbid obsession. In April 1933, he removed her body from the mausoleum and transported it to his makeshift laboratory that also served as his home. 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. He slept with the body in his bed, but he kept a curtain between them because he was an extreme gentleman. Dickinson, writing from Miami, asked, Didnt John Dorschner have anything better to do than write his story about Con Von Cosel? In 1944, Tanzler moved to Pasco County, Florida, close to Zephyrhills, where he wrote an autobiography that appeared in the pulp publication, Fantastic Adventures, in 1947. His body was not discovered until three weeks after his death. Change).
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