Over seven thousand visitors arrived, each desperate to peek at this well-preserved woman. Tanzler also used copious amounts of perfume, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor and forestall the effects of the corpse's decomposition. 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. Later he was removed to Trial Bay to a castle-like prison on the cliffs, and there the work in this narrative was accomplished. Concocting potions and tonics out of gold, Tanzler would shock Elena by connecting electrodes to her body via transformers and then give her medicinal wines. 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. Tanzler had had visions since childhood of a dark-haired woman who was destined to be his true love. As of that day, he was fifty-three years old and Elena was close to twenty-one. based on information from your browser. 1 and 2. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. 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. Tanzler went by many names; he was listed as Georg Karl Tnzler on his German marriage certificate. He provided free radiation treatments to Elena Hoyos, and a promise of marriage. Although he tried to stop her disintegration with embalming fluids, her body continued to decay. A devastated Tanzler made a death mask of her and told her family that he would pay for her funeral and . This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. 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. Lets hope that theyre mistaken and that Elena Hoyos has finally found peace in her second grave. She was part of one of the most bizarre love stories in history. [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. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. After reading about the perverse love of Carl Tanzler, brush up on macabre marriages with the Chinese ritual of ghost brides. Of course, she was shocked to find Hoyos body and she ran out of the laboratory to notify authorities. 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. It is hoped that the findings presented here will contribute towards the continuation of this cultural shift, and bring more empathy and understanding towards Elena rather than the man who pursued, poisoned and exploited her in life and death. It is perfectly wonderful that you had such a strong love for the girl in this case. Being a radiology technician, he of course had to go full mad scientist and attempt to go high into the stratosphere, so that radiation from outer space could penetrate Elenas tissues and restore life to her somnolent form. Is necrophilia legal in outer space? Weve updated the security on the site. There, he met Cuban-American Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos and became instantly infatuated. 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. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. He even bought her a mahogany bed, which would become her deathbed. [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. Morticians found him beside his life-size replica of Maria Elena Hoyos, a mannequin reproduction that featured a mask of Elenas face. Perez, B. Elena was legally married to Mesa at the time of her death. Immortal Kisses Were His Goal. Today, it seems even the dead body is no longer respected. In fact, he had escaped from an Australian internment camp during WWI by building a makeshift sailboat after secretly studying engineering books. Tanzler ignored the Marine Hospitals protocol for relationships between doctors and patients, and he became obsessed with Hoyos. Some of his hospital records were signed Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Most curiously, he had made a death mask of her face to preserve her beauty. He would buy her gifts and dote on her, and did everything in his power to heal her, but she succumbed to the illness. 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. 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). In April of 1930, the beautiful but doomed Elena Hoyos arrived at the Marine Hospital for blood tests. As Meek (2017) puts it, [Elena is] paradoxically at the center of this story and utterly left out. (1996). 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. As a young boy in Germany, Tanzler would often have visions of a stunning, dark-haired woman who was predestined to be his one true love. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Elena was the daughter of local cigar maker Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos (18831934) and Aurora Milagro (18811940). The family, considering Elena was fatally ill at this point, conceded. Carl Tanzler. More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. 0 cemeteries found in Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Mason Holdings Radio Hour. Elena was dying of tuberculosis, but Tanzler felt that she was his destinydespite having already having a wife and children. The mausoleum Carl had Elena laid to rest in. Not surprisingly, he was still obsessed. Surprisingly, a psychiatric evaluation by the court found Carl to be mentally competent. There was an error deleting this problem. Episode: Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, the Unwilling Corpse Bride w/ special guest @rachaelnobrien 1. Learn about the chilling embalmed corpse of the blushing bride La Pascualita. The Lost Diary of Count Von Cosel. You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by accepting, ignoring or dismissing this notice. Separated from Elena, he used a death mask to create a life . 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. Teachers brought their students for field trips; journalists arrived to report on the most unbelievable story in the world. He even installed a telephone line to Elenas crypt so that he could continue speaking to her. Even though people agreed Tanzler committed a crime, many members of the public felt sympathetic towards him. In 1931, a radiologist and bacteriologist working at a tuberculosis sanitarium in Key West, Florida, became obsessed with a 22-year-old patient, Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos. Most curiously, he had made a death mask of her face to preserve her beauty. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Elena Hoyos. So much so that Elena was said to have died hating Tanzler. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. In 1972, two doctors who were present at Maria's 1940 autopsy recalled how Carl had inserted a paper tube into the corpse's vaginal canal to facilitate intercourse. He lived with the doll in Pasco County, Florida until his death on July 3, 1952. In Carl's autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Maria's cadaver. He hoped she would return the same feelings. From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. The jig was up, and authorities confiscated the corpse. What followed was an on-and-off relationship where Tanzlers medical treatments were accepted but his proposals of marriage were sidestepped. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Sadly, the story does not end here, and it takes a Weekend at Bernies sort of twist, but with some added necrophilia. He also said he had nine university diplomas. A system error has occurred. He had also used flowers and other scents to keep out the odor. Failed to report flower. This account has been disabled. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. He was a radiologist or x-ray technician. 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). Join today and youll get up to twenty dollars in shopping credit toward your first order. The first of many details was revealed by Dr. Julio DePoo in 1972. Florinda notified the authorities, and Tanzler was arrested and detained. To her parents, this was a kind gesture, but this was only where the obsession began. Eventually, this was not enough. Tanzler, an eccentric character, carried himself with a high sense of self-importance. Morrall, Dr. P. Murder and Society: why commit Murder? Criminal Justice Matters, 66:1, 2006, pp. He would use this wig on Marias corpse, as the decomposition process had caused her hair to fall out. Little did they know, Elena, my darling, we are alone on this shore. Tanzler made nightly visits to Hoyos mausoleum. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. 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. Together they had two children: Ayesha Tanzler (19221998), and Clarista Tanzler (19241934), who died of diphtheria.[7]. Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel by Flagler / Florida KeysPublic Librariess photostream / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. Yet Carl Von Cosel was unable to resist peeking at Elena Hoyos. . Von Cosel visited her gravesite for two years, a mausoleum in Key Wests City Cemetery. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on October 25, 1931. A psychiatric evaluation of Tanzler stated that he was in a borderline state but otherwise sane and mentally competent (Meek 2017). 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