Life is dormant, inactive, sleeping, in a person who has died. He adopted his official nickname, Count Carl von Cosel. She was a devout Catholic who enjoyed Rudolph Valentino movies, cooking for family and friends, dancing at the social club La Brisa and looking forward to the technological developments of the 1930s (Weller 2019). 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). Normally you dont get any new information [about the story]. The public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as an eccentric "romantic". When the King grew tired of the feisty and headstrong Countess, he had her exiled, and she stayed that way for 49 years until her death. In 1952, Tanzler was found dead by police on the floor of his home next to a wax replica of Elena. 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. He showered her with luxurious treats, hoping that Elena would accept his hand in marriage. 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. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, known as Elena, walked into a Key West hospital suffering from a fatal infection of tuberculosis. And when she fell ill and her mother brought her into Marine Hospital in April of 1930, the disease would prove to be fatal. Hoyos, a local Cuban-American daughter of a cigar maker, had her own unique history. Florida, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1823-1982, Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001, Your Scrapbook is currently empty. 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. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. 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. 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.. Elena Hoyos died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two. Mason Holdings Radio Hour. She was only 22. Tanzler immediately recognized Hoyos as the woman from his dream. He was not short on money either, as he had been receiving a pension from the military for his involvement in World War 1. He recognized her from a vision he had many years ago, when his dead ancestor Countess Anna Constantia von Brockdorff came to him in a dream and showed him the face of his true love and soulmate: a gorgeous dark-haired woman who looked exactly like Maria. 6, no. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos' family knew of Carl Tanzler's infatuation, per Atlas Obscura. Von Cosel was sixty years of age,and decided that they were to have their May-December romance. She had two sisters, Florinda "Nana" Milagro Hoyos (19061944), who married Mario Medina (c.19051944) and also succumbed to tuberculosis; and Celia Milagro Hoyos (19131934). 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. John Dillinger was a gangster during the Great Depression. Today, it seems even the dead body is no longer respected. Tanzler ignored the Marine Hospitals protocol for relationships between doctors and patients, and he became obsessed with Hoyos. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. However, he never gave up on his one true love. You can be sure that everything that you did was sane. Some of his hospital records were signed Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel. Separated from his obsession, Tanzler used a death mask to create a life-sized effigy of Elena, and lived with it until his death at age 75 on July 3, 1952. Hoyos family didnt realize that the only key to the tomb would remain in Tanzlers possession. 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. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. 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. The Countess had an interesting story herself; being the mistress of 18th century King Augustus II of Poland. Nor was he with her just before. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. All right reserved. Love: the mercy killing of a baby with a major deformity or partner with incurable cancer. 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. The findings of which were most prominently reproduced in an episode of HBOs Autopsy series: I found a tube [in Elenas vagina] wide enough to permit sexual intercourse. Carl Tanzler was a German immigrant working at a Key West, Florida, hospital in the early 1930s. Morticians found him beside his life-size replica of Maria Elena Hoyos, a mannequin reproduction that featured a mask of Elenas face. 124 129. Oddly enough, the public found Carl to be a sympathetic figure; a tragic romantic who had lost his beloved to cruel fate. A Fresh Look at the Impacts and Relevance of Colonialism in Southeast Asia, Purposeless Polls: How Soviet Citizens RebelledAgainst a Regime that Rejected Open Communication. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, The Unwilling Corpse Bride With Special Guest Rachel O'Brien. Finally, I want to acknowledge Elena herself. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Carl was doing more than playing dress up with Elena. The family, considering Elena was fatally ill at this point, conceded. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Elena Hoyos . Mrs. C.S. Year should not be greater than current year. Swicegood, T. (2003). Those sensitive to spiritual energies claim that Elena Hoyos poltergeist haunts the funeral home of Bahama Lane. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. It was 1930 in sunny Key West, Florida, and Maria de Hoyos was dying of tuberculosis. Marias sister heard weird rumours about Carl. "[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. Whats more, I do not love you. He became so persistent that we asked him to stay away from the house.. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. Instead, he found plenty of things to do, including fashioning a wig for her once her hair fell out of her decomposing scalp. Even though you start off the story, just as all others have recounted, as being fact. [11], It has been written (most notably by Swicegood) that Tanzler had the bodies switched (or that Elena's remains were secretly returned to him), and that he died with the real body of Elena. Headlines like A Key West Story of Necrophilic Love, Undying Love, and A Grave Affair proliferated newspapers, immortalizing the infamous necrophile. He died in the arms of Hoyos real body. The 22-year-old beauty resembled his childhood premonitions so closely that he immediately became convinced that their love was meant to be. His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? Key West put her corpse on display. [1][8] Two physicians (Dr. DePoo and Dr. Foraker) who attended the 1940 autopsy of Elena's remains recalled in 1972 that a vaginal tube had been inserted in the vaginal area of the corpse that allowed for intercourse. 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). Provoked by Von Cosels unapologetic behavior, the judge decided to bury Elena in an unmarked grave. Elena was once again reduced to an object of spectacle, only this time she was a tourist attraction. Police Officer Bienvenido Perez Only Living Person Who Knows Where Elena Buried. To her parents, this was a kind gesture, but this was only where the obsession began. He substituted her empty sockets with glass eyes. Bizzarrepedia 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). (2012). 2022 Ghost City, Ghost City Tours. Try again. Tanzler was not even with Elena at the time she died. [1][8] Others contend that since no evidence of necrophilia was presented at the 1940 preliminary hearing, and because the physicians' "proof" surfaced in 1972, over 30 years after the case had been dismissed, the necrophilia allegation is questionable. In Carls autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Marias cadaver. There was an error deleting this problem. It can be awakened. He was devastated. She was not someone important, and she never did anything of note other than die young of tuberculosis. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos married Luis Roberto "Louis" Mesa. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. . She came here 71 years ago from her native Dresden, Germany. 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. She died at her parents home in Key West on October 25, 1931, at just 22 years old. Once home, Tanzler stitched Hoyos decomposing body back together, attaching the corpses bones with wire and coat hangers. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. On October 25, 1931, Maria finally succumbed to TB, after struggling against the illness for a year and a half, which was how long Carl had spent orbiting her. I have roamed the earth searching for Elena! April October 2019. https://masonholdings.org/radio-hour/Wood, C. Coulson J. Thompson S. + Bonner, S. An Intentional Aconite Overdose: A Case Study. [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. A system error has occurred. Tanzler von Cosel, K. The Secret of Elenas Tomb. They vow to stay together, even after death. Survivors include her daughter, Susan McKee, Zephyrhills; two sons, Jon Clendening, Portland, Oregon, and Gary Clendening, Hallowell, Maine; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Carl Von Cosel was a radiologist who met Elena during an x-ray. However, the judge decreed that Tanzler should no longer have possession of Elenas remains (in spite of Tanzlers insistence that she should be returned to him). 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. We have set your language to Doris continued to support her deranged and estranged husband financially. Forever and ever, she is with me.. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. He was a cultured and intelligent man who had traveled across the world, to countries like Italy, India, Australia, Cuba and the Netherlands. Sadly, the story does not end here, and it takes a Weekend at Bernies sort of twist, but with some added necrophilia. He slept with the body in his bed, but he kept a curtain between them because he was an extreme gentleman. Meek (2017) quotes an interview Elenas sister Nana gave to the Miami Herald: [Elena] never loved [Tanzler]. Elenas doctors decided to not disclose possibly the most disturbing discovery they had made until after Carls death. Eventually, in 1920, he married Doris Schafer and they had two children, Ayesha and Clarista. In October 1940, Hoyos sister, Florinda, heard conflicting rumors about Tanzlers budding romance with a mysterious woman. Even his penetrating stare and vandyke beard cant distract you from his obsession with the hospitalized woman in his care. 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. [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. He dedicated all his time to curing her, or at least attempting to do so. He was proud of the excellent attention hed given to her preservation and thought mistakenly that Elenas sister would feel the same. Carl was doing more than playing dress up with Elena. While Elena was undergoing agonizing death, Von Cosel supplied her with perfume, jewelry, fruits, and candies. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. This is a carousel with slides. [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. He restored her corpse, then kept her cadaver for seven years. The Mad Scientist of Key West. Elena was the daughter of local cigar maker Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos (18831934) and Aurora Milagro (18811940). 7 9, 54 61. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. This one had a story in it somebody was renovating a cottage and when they tore down the wall, they found a confession note. [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. Although the affections were one sided, when Elena passed away a couple of months later, Karl just couldn't let his soulmate go. There are no photographs or other sources to prove this. Born on July 31, 1909, in Key West, Florida, Elena was a strikingly attractive girl with luxurious dark hair and an appealing shyness. There was a problem getting your location. 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. [6], Around 1920, following his return to Germany, Tanzler married Doris Schfer (18891977). In 1940, it was finally over. Hes got this plan to be with her after shes dead. Please try again later. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. A psychiatric evaluation of Tanzler stated that he was in a borderline state but otherwise sane and mentally competent (Meek 2017). Elenas consumptive condition meant little to Carl Von Cosel. He had become smitten with the frail, Hispanic beauty, and even alleged that he recognized her from a dream. 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. And when he proposed marriage, she always told him You are too old. Carl had the nerve to ask them to return it back to him, but his request was rejected. From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. Maria Elena had a bit of a tragic life. 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. So what does he do? The prognosis did not look positive for poor Maria. Eventually, this was not enough. Not until recently. [1], On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital in Key West, Tanzler met Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (19091931), a local Cuban-American woman who had been brought to the hospital by her mother for an examination. Maria Elena 'Helen' Milagro de Hoyos, a 20-year-old local Cuban American woman, was the same dark-haired woman Tanzler had visions of and who was to be his true love. I had hopes that, when Elena was out of danger, we would get married. They called him an eccentric romantic and felt sorry for his psychological disorder. Determined to save his newfound paramour, Von Cosel connected her wasting body to his homemade contraption. Death . There are no photographs or other sources to prove this. In 2003, two bands released their musical interpretations of the Tanzler story, In 2008, the Swedish band ChansoNoir released the EP. 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. Like some medieval wizard, Carl conjured up odd concoctions, potions, tonics, elixirs, and herbs in order to treat her TB. 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