At the end of the war no prisoner was permitted to return to his former residence, but all were shipped to the prisoner's exchange in Holland. Tragically, de Hoyos died on October 25, 1931, at the age of 22. Elenas consumptive condition meant little to Carl Von Cosel. Normally you dont get any new information [about the story]. Fifty years ago she appeared to me in a vision, and she promised then to be my bride. 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. He kept her body in his bed, where he slept beside her every night. Elena was in unbearable pain, but her parents approved of Von Cosel's arrangement. Hes got this plan to be with her after shes dead. Tanzler visited Hoyos grave every night for nearly two years, a habit that stopped abruptly after he lost his job for reasons unknown. On February 18, 1926, she married Luis Mesa, but he left her shortly after she suffered a miscarriage of the couples first child. Marias sister heard weird rumours about Carl. She was not someone important, and she never did anything of note other than die young of tuberculosis. How could she possibly have a life-threatening disease? Hoyos family didnt realize that the only key to the tomb would remain in Tanzlers possession. Marias family soon became puzzled when Carl stopped visiting her grave, but they just assumed that he had finally moved on. She was Methodist. 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. 22nd April 1930 would turn out to be a very fateful day. Not surprisingly, he was still obsessed. One even died from diphtheria whilst these events were unfolding (Harrison 1996, Sloan 2012). [6], Around 1920, following his return to Germany, Tanzler married Doris Schfer (18891977). There, he met Cuban-American Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos and became instantly infatuated. This time, it was unmarked so no one, including Tanzler, could find her body. Whether this is true or not, well never know the answer. NightMerica. 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). Nor was he with her just before. Death . [10], In October 1940, Elena's sister Florinda heard rumors of Tanzler sleeping with the disinterred body of her sister and confronted Tanzler at his home, where Elena's body was eventually discovered (he was also caught dancing with her corpse in front of an open window). When John Dorschner wrote the sordid details of the case, he was met with remarkable contention. He died in the arms of Hoyos real body. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. 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. From 1930 to 1952, he had endlessly obsessed over this woman. 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. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. While her family did consider this drastic change in behavior to be a bit strange, they could not have imagined the reasoning behind it. 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. Elena, having been referred to the Marine Hospital for tests, was overseen by one radiologist, Carl Tanzler (1877 1952). Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos (1910-1931) died of tuberculosis and her body was preserved by Carl Tanzler (1877-1952) who was one of her physicians. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. It was the biggest media frenzy of its day. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, Did the Wolves Ever Leave the Hen House? Hoyos, a local Cuban-American daughter of a cigar maker, had her own unique history. Instead, Marias mummified remains were put on display at Dean-Lopez Funeral Home. Carl Von Cosel had consummated their marriage. 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. Death . Strong words from a man who was already technically rejected by Maria several times. Mesa left Elena shortly after she suffered a miscarriage of the couple's child, and moved to Miami. 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 . 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. The strange death mask was put on public display as the story became legend. 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 Additionally, Hoyos was known as the beauty of Key West. Failed to remove flower. The 22-year-old beauty resembled his childhood premonitions so closely that he immediately became convinced that their love was meant to be. [The magazine] has a story called Floridas Dr. Frankenstein and his Laboratory of Love. This all seems like silly speculation, to get people to read an old story. Detective Cases, Jun. In 2003, two bands released their musical interpretations of the Tanzler story, In 2008, the Swedish band ChansoNoir released the EP. There continued to be much conflict between him and Elenas family. They even resisted Tanzlers ministrations to where they moved house, neglecting to tell him of their new residence. + Sloan, D.L. After Hoyos sister showed up at Tanzlers home in 1940, the jig was up. Hoyos body was placed on display at a local funeral home, where nearly 7,000 people came to see the corrupted corpse for themselves. [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. He transported Elena to his laboratory in the fuselage of a wingless airplane, covertly relocating her body to Rest Beach. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? He did this, as needed, inside of an old airplane he had repurposed into a makeshift medical laboratory. 3 Feb. 2021, https://redcircle.com/shows/nightmerica. Teachers brought their students for field trips; journalists arrived to report on the most unbelievable story in the world. Add to your scrapbook. Carl had basically abandoned his wife and children, and was more content living with a dead body than a live woman. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world 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. Thus, they found it odd that Tanzler stopped visiting the mausoleum two years after her death. Carl Von Cosel had preserved her corpse for seven years. (LogOut/ Finding her safe, he remained with her for three years, witnessing the chaos that followed in the wake of the war. There was a problem getting your location. 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. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos Birth 31 Jul 1909. April October 2019. https://masonholdings.org/radio-hour/Wood, C. Coulson J. Thompson S. + Bonner, S. An Intentional Aconite Overdose: A Case Study. As Elena and her family were poor, they were initially willing to accept this offer. [1], Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Try again later. He was later joined by his wife and children. It has been recounted that Tanzler was found in the arms of Elena's effigy upon discovery of his corpse, but his obituary reported that he died on the floor behind one of his organs. The charges against Tanzler were dropped as the statute of limitations on the crime had expired. As they autopsy her body, for a second time, they discovered that she was removed from her tomb two years after her burial. After this, Maria was finally laid to rest at Key West Cemetery in an unmarked grave, to deter Carl from disturbing her eternal rest. Yet Carl Von Cosel was unable to resist peeking at Elena Hoyos. She died because I gave this to her mercifully. Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 . The Journal of Critical Care Medicine, vol. 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. Thanks for your help! Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. To some, it is the ultimate romance, and to others, it is a grotesque tale of violation. Historically, the Cosel family seemed to be haunted by bad luck. (p. 54). Von Cosel. He would buy her gifts and dote on her, and did everything in his power to heal her, but she succumbed to the illness. Carl simply did not care, and continued indulging himself in unrequited love. Failed to delete memorial. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. Whichs been recounted a million and one times. Although some have described him as a mad scientist, others, a brilliant doctor, hes more likely a grotesque fetishist. Tanzler immediately recognized Hoyos as the woman from his dream. More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. In their ignorance, they asked if it was illegal to love too much. Police Officer Bienvenido Perez Only Living Person Who Knows Where Elena Buried. [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. She was never able to unearth her sisters gravesite Carl Von Cosel was eager to show Elenas sister Elena himself. Elena died on 25th October 1931 at the age of twenty-two. Verify and try again. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. In April of 1930, the beautiful but doomed Elena Hoyos arrived at the Marine Hospital for blood tests. He dedicated all his time to curing her, or at least attempting to do so. As the skin of the corpse decomposed, Tanzler replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and plaster of paris. 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. 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. She was his soulmate and he would do whatever it took to always be by her side. (1996). Authorities took Elena from him. Michelfelder (1982) goes on to describe how the demolition worker and his supervisor found bottles full of this golden elixir fallen from the collapsed wall of Tanzlers former residence. Photo Credit: DeWolfe and Wood Collection in the Otto Hirzel Scrapbook CC BY 2.0 . 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. Mesa left for Miami, leaving Elena alone as her illness worsened (Harrison 1996). 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. Together they had two children: Ayesha Tanzler (19221998), and Clarista Tanzler (19241934), who died of diphtheria.[7]. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher, 2 Bears, 1 Cave with Tom Segura & Bert Kreischer, Earwolf & Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey. She died on October 25, 1931 at the age of 22. . He created a life-like effigy and mask of her face, to replace the confiscated cadaver. Unfortunately, this would be the beginning of many tragedies for Elena; she miscarried the child and gradually fell ill with a cough. 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. They were comforted by his invention, hoping that perhaps Elena could survive. The mausoleum Carl had Elena laid to rest in. Join today and youll get up to twenty dollars in shopping credit toward your first order. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. 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). Lust: a lover kills a rival for his/her object of desire; the thrill-killer who murders people because he gains a sexual payoff. 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. Although he tried to stop her disintegration with embalming fluids, her body continued to decay. Love: the mercy killing of a baby with a major deformity or partner with incurable cancer. Carl claimed Maria began talking to him from the other side, telling him she was afraid of decaying and rotting. He restored her corpse, then kept her cadaver for seven years. Nosy neighbours who peered through Carls window saw him dancing with the figure of a woman, and some thought it was a large doll. His negative publicity was a small price to pay for such an excessively grotesque desecration. You can always change this later in your Account settings. 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