The Count [Tanzler] is in love, hes a much older man in love with a young girl who wants nothing to do with him. Her family agreed to let Tanzler attempt to treat her with various medicines, x-rays and other experimental cures. He provided free radiation treatments to Elena Hoyos, and a promise of marriage. However, a year later, he left his family behind to work as a radiology technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Key West, Florida. Fantastic Adventures, Sep. 1947, pp.10 69. He showered her with luxurious treats, hoping that Elena would accept his hand in marriage. The former three, as he describes them, are quite applicable to Tanzler. If they only knew what was going on inside his home. She was his soulmate, so he created a life-size doll from a death mask that closely resembled his favorite woman. As Meek (2017) puts it, [Elena is] paradoxically at the center of this story and utterly left out. Tanzler loved everything about Hoyos. Carl Von Cosel had consummated their marriage. In Carl's autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Maria's cadaver. I own that tomb and everything that is inside, not you! (p.70). This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Elena remained with Carl Von Cosel for seven years. Her mother was worried about her declining health, but neither of them probably thought Tanzler would take an interest in her. Marias family soon became puzzled when Carl stopped visiting her grave, but they just assumed that he had finally moved on. It was there that she met Dr. Carl Von Cosel, a doctor who was working to find a cure. He also said he had nine university diplomas. In April of 1930, the beautiful but doomed Elena Hoyos arrived at the Marine Hospital for blood tests. Verify and try again. Her body was finally laid to rest once and for all in an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery. Finally, I want to acknowledge Elena herself. He asked if he could have Elenas body returned to him. Journalists reported that the judge denied Von Cosels request, screaming at Von Cosel with disgust. Carl had to continuously preserve Marias decaying body, and mummification isnt easy. She died on October 25, 1931 at the age of 22. . 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. Dickinson, writing from Miami, asked, Didnt John Dorschner have anything better to do than write his story about Con Von Cosel? Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? 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. Separated from Elena, he used a death mask to create a life . Elena died on 25th October 1931 at the age of twenty-two. All he had to do was find her. He poisons her he poisons her to kill her quicker so he can have her as his own. She was only nice to him because my mother told her she should be kind to those who were kind to her. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Aconite is a plant native to Northern Asia and Europe. Forever and ever she is with me. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. In October 1940, Hoyos sister, Florinda, heard conflicting rumors about Tanzlers budding romance with a mysterious woman. 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]. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. 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. She came into the hospital he worked at due to contracting tuberculosis. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. St. Martins True Crime Classics. Tanzler never met this mysterious woman. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos was a 21-year-old Cuban American beauty. Hed left them to search for his soulmate, which he found in Elena Hoyos. They were unaware that the doctor had found sperm inside Elenas corpse, clear evidence of necrophilia. Not only were reporters sympathetic to Count Von Cosels May-December romance, jurors acquitted Von Cosel of the theft, preservation, and mistreatment of Elenas cadaver. Tanzler ignored the Marine Hospitals protocol for relationships between doctors and patients, and he became obsessed with Hoyos. Please try again later. Tanzler grew up in Imperial Germany, but, at some point, wound up in Australia just prior to the outbreak of World War I. It was the biggest media frenzy of its day. Elena was legally married to Mesa at the time of her death. Michelfelder (1982) stated that DePoo never explained why he kept his autopsy [findings] secret, (p.61) but Harrison (1996) later speculated that he did not reveal this at the time in order not to cause uproar in an already scandalous plot and to keep things dignified for Elenas surviving family members. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. 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 the daughter of local cigar maker Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos (18831934) and Aurora Milagro (18811940). . There is a problem with your email/password. I foremost would like to acknowledge writer and historian David L. Sloan. Despite everything, the statute of limitations had expired for the crime he was accused of committing, leaving Tanzler free to go. What he did next is unthinkable, and he never really paid a price for it.Join Ash, Alaina and special guest, comedian Rachel O'brien, as we dig deep into Karl's crazy world. There are no photographs or other sources to prove this. Despite her illness, she was still an attractive young woman, and her beauty didnt go unnoticed by Tanzler. It was estimated that she wouldnt have long to live, but Von Cosel disagreed. 3 Feb. 2021, https://redcircle.com/shows/nightmerica. Search above to list available cemeteries. 124 129. As of that day, he was fifty-three years old and Elena was close to twenty-one. Despite his best efforts, Hoyos succumbed to her illness in October 1931, leaving her family and newly-obsessed caretaker heartbroken. Maria was married at the age of 16 to a man named Luis Mesa, who abandoned her after she miscarried their child. He then placed Elena Hoyos on his canopied bed, serenading her with a small, church organ. Tanzler would quickly take advantage of this privilege, which would result in one of the most macabre tales of all time. Try again later. The list is numerous and was all justified by Tanzler in the name of love. 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. Historically, the Cosel family seemed to be haunted by bad luck. Yet Carl Von Cosel was unable to resist peeking at Elena Hoyos. Check out Rachel's pod/comedy! How can these immense, unfounded claims be made? Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 . At home with her corpse, Carl set to work repairing the damage done by decomposition. Sadly, the story does not end here, and it takes a Weekend at Bernies sort of twist, but with some added necrophilia. Marias two sisters would later go on to die of tuberculosis, and her brother-in-law died while trying to save a construction worker from electrocution. He paused in Australia to collect equipment and suitable boats, and to become acquainted with prevailing weather and sea conditions. This time, it was unmarked so no one, including Tanzler, could find her body. His negative publicity was a small price to pay for such an excessively grotesque desecration. Carl claimed Maria began talking to him from the other side, telling him she was afraid of decaying and rotting. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. He even installed a telephone line to Elenas crypt so that he could continue speaking to her. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? It is perfectly wonderful that you had such a strong love for the girl in this case. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. 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. 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. Enter Carl Tanzler von Cosel, a German-born radiology technician who worked at the hospital. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. Interested in learning more about the most haunted places on the Island? As they autopsy her body, for a second time, they discovered that she was removed from her tomb two years after her burial. While Elena was undergoing agonizing death, Von Cosel supplied her with perfume, jewelry, fruits, and candies. Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. [1][8], Despite Tanzler's best efforts, Elena died of tuberculosis at her parents' home in Key West on October 25, 1931. 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. 28, 67 69, Sagers, A. Those sensitive to spiritual energies claim that Elena Hoyos poltergeist haunts the funeral home of Bahama Lane. Whether this is true or not, well never know the answer, but its not something we want to ponder too closely. However, no other evidence had ever come to the fore, apart from these threats, suggesting that Tanzler may have committed murder. Carl was doing more than playing dress up with Elena. They even resisted Tanzlers ministrations to where they moved house, neglecting to tell him of their new residence. A cousin revealed to The Tennessean Sun in 1940: [Elenas] two rescues from death [via electric shock by Tanzler / von Cosel] had been so painful that Elena finally died hating her rescuer and [begged] to be allowed to stay dead. Back to Carl: despite being in his 50s and resembling Sigmund Freud, he did not inhibit himself from making strong advances towards young Maria. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Tanzler didnt seem to get bored living with Hoyos corpse. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. 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. The County Jail charged him of malicious and wanton disfigurement of a burial vault, yet the jurors found no law that he had broken. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. However, the case was eventually dropped and Tanzler was released from prison because the statute of limitations for the committed crime had expired. 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. At this point, Carl had lost his job at the hospital and was living in a remote shack which also housed his laboratory. He also claimed nine university degrees and self-titled himself Count von Cosel, taking the name of an alleged ancestor. A defeated Carl shuffled off to Pasco County, Florida to patch together some semblance of a life. Key West put her corpse on display. You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial. She had dark hair, was beautiful and was a foreigner. 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. Authorities took Elena from him. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Detective Cases, Jun. Tanzler (1947) tells of many arguments he had with Elenas parents about her condition, the Cuban culture of smoking cigars, having numerous visitors at the house and taking Elena for car rides. 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. Arriving authorities quickly determined that this doll was, in fact, Hoyos herself, and they arrested Tanzler for grave robbing. Elena was in unbearable pain, but her parents approved of Von Cosel's arrangement. Creepy, crawly Count Carl Von Cosel wasnt a count at all. (1996). We have set your language to 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. When a Cuban-American woman named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos walked into the hospital, the doctor saw before him an actual dream come true. Mrs. C.S. This browser does not support getting your location. But unfortunately, this was a true story. Although the affections were one sided, when Elena passed away a couple of months later, Karl just couldn't let his soulmate go. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. 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. That's when things took a turn for the macabre. Learn more about merges. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. 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. She went over to his home to confront him, and found out his terrible secret. The former corpse bride is now at rest. 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. Once home, Tanzler stitched Hoyos decomposing body back together, attaching the corpses bones with wire and coat hangers. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Tanzler emigrated to the United States from Germany in 1926, sailing from Rotterdam on February 6, 1926 to Havana, Cuba. All of the sources that make claims about this are modern. The family, considering Elena was fatally ill at this point, conceded. Mara Elena "Helen" Hoyos A principios del siglo XX nace una hija de inmigrantes cubanos llamada Mara Elena Milagro-Hoyos. From Cuba he settled in Zephyrhills, Florida, where his sister had already emigrated, and was later joined by his wife and two daughters. 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. Decaying and rotting fact, Hoyos succumbed to her illness, she afraid... Wouldnt have long to live, but Von Cosel had preserved her maria elena milagro de hoyos autopsy photos for seven.... Her mother was worried about her declining health, but neither of them probably thought Tanzler take. 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