d. Cosel was (Harrison 1996, Meek 2017). Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Undying Love: The True Story of a Passion That Defied Death. Similar credit must be given to Miki Meek for giving a very well researched and academic podcast four years ago for This American Life, and to Tracy Weller of the Mason Holdings group for the podcast The Lost Diaries of Elena Hoyos, which finally revealed much of Elenas personality and early life. As of that day, he was fifty-three years old and Elena was close to twenty-one. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. . This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. At home with her corpse, Carl set to work repairing the damage done by decomposition. Three years later a Cuban-American woman by the name of Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, was brought to the hospital by her mother for examination. She was his soulmate and he would do whatever it took to always be by her side. Still longing for his lost love, he created a "death mask" of her as the basis for a life-sized dummy, which he kept in his bed until . The former corpse bride is now at rest. Little did they know, Elena, my darling, we are alone on this shore. In 1931, Dr. Carl Tanzler fell in love with a patient he was treating for tuberculosis. In April of 1933, Carl Tanzler removed Hoyos body from the mausoleum, no longer requiring him to make his nightly visits to the graveyard as she would now be housed in his own home. Mason Holdings Radio Hour. 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. At sixteen, she was married to Luis Mesa (1908-?) After Hoyos sister showed up at Tanzlers home in 1940, the jig was up. [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. Try again. The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel. But why? It was 1930 in sunny Key West, Florida, and Maria de Hoyos was dying of tuberculosis. 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. In 1972, two doctors who were present at Marias 1940 autopsy recalled how Carl had inserted a paper tube into the corpses vaginal canal to facilitate intercourse. In their ignorance, they asked if it was illegal to love too much. I have roamed the earth searching for Elena! When Carl von Cosel was released he set out to find his mother from whom he had not heard since the beginning of the war. In 1940, when her sister Nana confronted him about taking her body, Tanzler as equally as vehement, making statements such as, [Elena] is an angel, but not you (p. 68), You never looked after her for the past nine years, she has been under my care all these years. It is a great shame that someone of such beauty and character be made endure the travesties she went through in her brief life and even after it ended. Later, Carl Von Cosel believed that he could animate Elenas corpse with ultraviolet ray treatment. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. At least she got to keep her hair. July 31, 1909, marks the birthdate of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, the daughter of a Key West cigar maker named Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos, and his wife, Aurora. His negative publicity was a small price to pay for such an excessively grotesque desecration. German-born American radiology technologist and erotomaniac. Before she died, Carl wrote in his journal how he had hopes that, despite the extensive damage, the lesions would heal again. [1], Tanzler attached the corpse's bones together with piano wire and fitted the face with glass eyes. The obituary recounted: "a metal cylinder on a shelf above a table in it wrapped in silken cloth and a robe was a waxen image". 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. She repeatedly told him he was too old for her and additionally, she was not yet divorced from her husband (Perez 1952, Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012, Meek 2017). Von Cosel had told me once: I have spent my whole life. Police Officer Bienvenido Perez Only Living Person Who Knows Where Elena Buried. 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. Please reorganize this content to explain the subject's impact on popular culture, "The Trial Bay Organ: A Product of Wit and Ingenuity,", St. Petersburg Times, December 31, 1998; page 8: "Ayesha T. Bucey (Ann), 76, of Zephyrhills, died Sunday (December 27, 1998) at East Pasco Medical Center. Forever and ever, she is with me.. To use this feature, use a newer browser. Search above to list available cemeteries. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. 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). 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. The County Jail charged him of malicious and wanton disfigurement of a burial vault, yet the jurors found no law that he had broken. At this point, Carl had lost his job at the hospital and was living in a remote shack which also housed his laboratory. Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos Mesa. Maria Elena lies in some unmarked Floridian grave, in an 18 inch casket. Some of his hospital records were signed Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel. Carls madness was discovered. 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. In their case report of an aconite overdose, Wood et al. But unfortunately, this was a true story. Elena was once again reduced to an object of spectacle, only this time she was a tourist attraction. 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. It turns out that Carl Von Cosel was married with children the entire time. p. 1 + 19. Like some medieval wizard, Carl conjured up odd concoctions, potions, tonics, elixirs, and herbs in order to treat her TB. Dr. Peter Morrall (2006) broadly summarises that motives for murder can be condensed into four sets of Ls: Lust; Love; Loathing; and Loot. Carl Tanzler had the corpse wrapped in a dress, gloves, and jewelry, and placed the body in his own bed, which he shared with the corpse for the next seven years. She reported him to the police, and Carl was arrested. Currently you have JavaScript disabled. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Please reset your password. Morrall, Dr. P. Murder and Society: why commit Murder? Criminal Justice Matters, 66:1, 2006, pp. Hoyos, a local Cuban-American daughter of a cigar maker, had her own unique history. Interested in learning more about the most haunted places on the Island? To his absolute horror, Elenas putrefied body had begun to deteriorate. Whether this is true or not, well never know the answer, but its not something we want to ponder too closely. . However, he managed to keep Marias body in his home for seven years without being discovered. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos Birth 31 Jul 1909. His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. Tanzler immediately recognized Hoyos as the woman from his dream. 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. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Forever and ever she is with me. Elenas consumptive condition meant little to Carl Von Cosel. The Count [Tanzler] is in love, hes a much older man in love with a young girl who wants nothing to do with him. He created a life-like effigy and mask of her face, to replace the confiscated cadaver. They called him an eccentric romantic and felt sorry for his psychological disorder. But the curious began wondering why Von Cosel visited her night after night and when his visits stopped all assumed he had died. She had dark hair, was beautiful and was a foreigner. From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. On February 18, 1926, Elena married Luis Mesa (19081974), the son of Caridad and Isaac Mesa. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, Did the Wolves Ever Leave the Hen House? He thought of everything to make sure he could continue living with her corpsefor seven years! You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by accepting, ignoring or dismissing this notice. Von Cosel was sixty years of age,and decided that they were to have their May-December romance. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Her body was finally laid to rest once and for all in an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery. The extent of this has never been revealed fully, only that Tanzler had been interned in Australia as a prisoner-of-war for a time. This account has been disabled. He even installed a telephone line to Elenas crypt so that he could continue speaking to her. [6], Around 1920, following his return to Germany, Tanzler married Doris Schfer (18891977). When he was 12 years old, he dreamed of a woman who would leave an impression on his life forever. More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. 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. [8] Tanzler filled the corpse's abdominal and chest cavity with rags to keep the original form, dressed Elena's remains in stockings, jewelry, and gloves, and kept the body in his bed. American Hauntings writes that it's unlikely she ever requited his affections. 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 moved to Miami, leaving Hoyos behind to her parents. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. He even exaggerated his achievements to her parents, claiming he was Count von Cosel (even though he wasnt a count). Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos was a 21-year-old Cuban American beauty. This one had a story in it somebody was renovating a cottage and when they tore down the wall, they found a confession note. 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. 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. Tanzler was subsequently arrested on the charge of wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorisation so a hearing was held. Carl had to continuously preserve Marias decaying body, and mummification isnt easy. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. based on information from your browser. Carl Tanzler administered these treatments in Hoyos family home, showering her with gifts and declaring his love all the while. [1], Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse. The disease would later claim the lives of almost everyone in Hoyos immediate family, including her sister, Florinda Nana Milagro Hoyos. He dedicated all his time to curing her, or at least attempting to do so. This is a carousel with slides. 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. She went over to his home to confront him, and found out his terrible secret. [1] Tanzler paid for her funeral, and with the permission of her family, he then commissioned the construction of an above ground mausoleum in the Key West Cemetery, which he visited almost every night. NightMerica. The mummified body of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos. In spite of his best efforts, Cosel could not save Elena and she succumbed to the illness on October 25, 1931 and entombed in a family crypt. He would personally transport her body by airplane, where Carl Von Cosel believed he could restore her life. Even though you start off the story, just as all others have recounted, as being fact. You are living in an insane world. He was proud of the excellent attention hed given to her preservation and thought mistakenly that Elenas sister would feel the same. . 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. The charges against Tanzler were dropped as the statute of limitations on the crime had expired. He stuffed her body with rags, waxed the skin with plaster of Paris, and even fitted the face with glass eyes. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos Birth 31 Jul 1909. 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. After he left Key West defeated, he returned to his wife and daughter in Zephyrhills, Florida. Journalists reported that the judge denied Von Cosels request, screaming at Von Cosel with disgust. She came into the hospital he worked at due to contracting tuberculosis. Men True Adventure, n.d, pp. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 1 and 2. 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). Separated from his dead love, Tanzler used a death mask to create a life-sized effigy of Maria de Hoyos and lived with it until his death. It was told back then and is still revered now as a love story, even with the more sinister evidence of necrophilia that came out after Tanzlers 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. Count Carl Tanzler von Cosel by Flagler / Florida KeysPublic Librariess photostream / Flickr / CC BY 2.0. Von Cosel asked the family if he could keep Elena's body in a casket filled with formaldehyde to preserve her. 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). Normally you dont get any new information [about the story]. 28, 67 69, Sagers, A. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization, but the statute of limitations saved him from prosecution. Medina, Nana's husband, was electrocuted trying to rescue a coworker who hit a powerline with his crane at a construction site. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. He who has given you to me, will not reject our souls, united as they are in His undying love.. He carried on his love affair with her corpse. iUniverse. Tanzler would extensively claim in this memoir, as well as during his 1940 court hearing and in numerous newspaper interviews that he had been seeing apparitions of Elena ever since he was a child, and it was the ghost of Elena that instructed him to enshrine her body in his home. There was a problem getting your location. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Learn how your comment data is processed. According to Atlas Obscura, de Hoyos was then a 21-year-old Cuban native suffering from tuberculosis and came to the hospital for treatment. 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. 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. 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. He lavished her with gifts, and professed his undying love, telling her he would love and care for her even if she died. It was there in 1930 that Tanzler met the woman he believed was the love of his life; Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos. 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.. Suffer no more sweet Elena. Cosel fell in love with her despite the fact that she was legally married. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram He paused in Australia to collect equipment and suitable boats, and to become acquainted with prevailing weather and sea conditions. Sloan, D,L. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization.. In the early 1900s, approximately 110,000 Americans would die each year from tuberculosis. Episode: Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, the Unwilling Corpse Bride w/ special guest @rachaelnobrien 1. However, he became interested in engineering and electrical work there, bought property, boats, an organ, an island in the Pacificso that he was still in Australia at the end of ten years. Please try again later. The Second Autopsy of Elena Hoyos Carl's madness was discovered. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Carl simply did not care, and continued indulging himself in unrequited love. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Dismissing this notice most haunted places on the photos tab sign in when his visits all! And maliciously destroying a Grave, in an unmarked Grave in Key West defeated, he to... 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