Tanzler immediately recognized her as the beautiful dark-haired woman that had been revealed to him in his earlier "visions. Men True Adventure, n.d, pp. Doris continued to support her deranged and estranged husband financially. p. 1 + 19. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. (1996). At this point, Carl had lost his job at the hospital and was living in a remote shack which also housed his laboratory. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. And when he proposed marriage, she always told him You are too old. The prognosis did not look positive for poor Maria. Resend Activation Email. Von Cosel robbed her body from the grave. and they were expecting their first child (Harrison 1996, Meek 2017, Weller 2019). To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 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 became enamored with her, and took an overly keen interest in her care, despite not having any idea on how to treat tuberculosis. Lust: a lover kills a rival for his/her object of desire; the thrill-killer who murders people because he gains a sexual payoff. Though the story is known and historical, not all of the events therein are common knowledge and thus, so too is the true extent of the indignity that Elena suffered. She forbade the family to let von Cosel know until she was too far across the border to be recalled (p.1). . 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. On February 18, 1926, Elena married Luis Mesa (19081974), the son of Caridad and Isaac Mesa. 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). As if this case wasnt already bizarre enough, it takes an added sci-fi turn. Word caught on that Carl Von Cosel was acting erratically, so Elenas sister decided to investigate. Forever and ever, she is with me.. I have sent you to the angels with my golden elixir Perez also claimed Tanzler had once told him that he 'would kill Elena if necessary to fulfil [his] destiny'[12] The poison confession letter article was also cited by historian David L. Sloan on episode 44 of the NightMerica podcast.[14]. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/23114033/elena-hoyos. [1][8], Shortly after the corpse's discovery by authorities, Elena's body was examined by physicians and pathologists, and put on public display at the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home, where it was viewed by as many as 6,800 people. He loved her, but no evidence has surfaced to confirm that Hoyos reciprocated his love. This went on for two years. And make sure to watch out for her new upcoming podcast Seven Deadly Sinners!Rachel O'brien ComedyFor a great article on this case written by one of our listeners, Addison Nugent, check it out on OZY.com!The Woman of his Dreams Died, But He Didn't Let That Pull Them ApartThanks to our sponsors!Pretty LitterGet the worlds smartest litter without leaving home by visiting PrettyLitter.com and use promo code MORBID for 20% off your first order. A psychiatric evaluation of Tanzler stated that he was in a borderline state but otherwise sane and mentally competent (Meek 2017). The middle of three daughters to a cigar maker and homemaker, Elena had a beauty that didn't go unnoticed. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos married Luis Roberto "Louis" Mesa. While there, he met a beautiful young woman 32 years his junior named Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, better known as Helen (top, in a photo courtesy of the Florida Keys Public Library). Born the daughter of a cigar maker she came from a large Cuban-American family. At least she got to keep her hair. [1][8], Despite Tanzler's best efforts, Elena died of tuberculosis at her parents' home in Key West on October 25, 1931. The Count [Tanzler] is in love, hes a much older man in love with a young girl who wants nothing to do with him. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. At the bottom of the tube there was cotton and in an examination of the cotton, I found there was sperm (HBO Autopsy 1999). He even exaggerated his achievements to her parents, claiming he was Count von Cosel (even though he wasnt a count). It seemed to be someone admitting to killing someone. 36 37. Suffer no more sweet Elena. He once shouted at her parents, Will you take the responsibility to let your daughter die through your stupidity? (p. 32) and on finding their new residence recalled, if anyone had tried to stop me [from entering], I think, I would have used violence (p.28). Carl Tanzler administered these treatments in Hoyos family home, showering her with gifts and declaring his love all the while. (p. 54). His home was near his wife Doris, who apparently helped to support Tanzler in his later years. Carl Von Cosel was nevertheless unsatisfied with the outcome of his trial. Check out Rachel's pod/comedy! These transgressions, like the ones committed against Elena, have been shrouded in secrecy due to the cultural biases towards and positions of the instigators involved. He thought of everything to make sure he could continue living with her corpsefor seven years! Thats what happened between Carl Tanzler and Maria Elena Helen Milagro de Hoyos. Surprisingly, there are no contemporary sources that mention anything about necrophilia. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, The Unwilling Corpse Bride With Special Guest Rachel O'Brien. Those sensitive to spiritual energies claim that Elena Hoyos poltergeist haunts the funeral home of Bahama Lane. 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. With pretty much the entire town talking about the reclusive man often seen buying womens clothing and perfume on top of one local boys account of witnessing the doctor dancing with what appeared to be a giant doll Hoyos family began to suspect that something was off. Marias family soon became puzzled when Carl stopped visiting her grave, but they just assumed that he had finally moved on. He poisons her he poisons her to kill her quicker so he can have her as his own. He replaced Marias brittle broken bones with coat hanger wire, and stuffed her torso with rags to keep her body in its original shape. The truth, however, will forever remain lost to time. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. It turns out that Carl Von Cosel was married with children the entire time. Nor was he with her just before. On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital in Key West, Tanzler met Maria Elena Milagro "Helen" de Hoyos (1909-1931), a local Cuban-American woman who had been brought to the hospital for an examination by her mother. On April 22, 1930, Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos came to him for an examination and he was persuaded that she was the lady in his dreams. 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. Elenas consumptive condition meant little to Carl Von Cosel. He carried on his love affair with her corpse. It isnt very far off to believe that necrophilia played a part in this twisted romance, but its important to remember these claims are not fully proven. However, he never gave up on his one true love. iUniverse. Whats more, I do not love you. He became so persistent that we asked him to stay away from the house.. 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. Because of his medical knowledge, Tanzler knew he could save Hoyos. More than two years had already passed since Elena's death and her body had shown all the normal signs of decomposition. Like most patients, Hoyos was scared of the illness and the treatment. 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). For some reason, Marias mother possessed a wig made out of her daughters hair, and she gifted this to Carl. While her family did consider this drastic change in behavior to be a bit strange, they could not have imagined the reasoning behind it. Tanzler went by many names; he was listed as Georg Karl Tnzler on his German marriage certificate. She went over to his home to confront him, and found out his terrible secret. 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? 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. 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. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, known as Elena, walked into a Key West hospital suffering from a fatal infection of tuberculosis. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 17 Feb. 2017, https://www.thisamericanlife.org/610/grand-gesture, Michelfelder, W. Floridas Dr. Frankenstein and His Love Laboratory. I have paid for all her expenses, not you! Von Cosel was arrested for body snatching but was not indicted because the statute of limitations had passed. [1], Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse. Elena remained with Carl Von Cosel for seven years. 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). In 1931, Dr. Carl Tanzler fell in love with a patient he was treating for tuberculosis. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Additionally, he dressed her remains in stockings, jewelry, and gloves. Failed to report flower. According to Atlas Obscura, de Hoyos was then a 21-year-old Cuban native suffering from tuberculosis and came to the hospital for treatment. Most curiously, he had made a death mask of her face to preserve her beauty. Thats a pretty harsh breakup, isnt it? Tennessean Sun. 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. It was the biggest media frenzy of its day. Today's episode is dedicated to our Patron, Jacqueline! 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. While the story was first presented in the media as a tragic love story, something played up to a great extent by Tanzler, more information has slowly come to the surface in the eight decades since Elenas final burial that has given it a much darker turn. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Eventually, the corpse was reburried to an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery, and Maria de Hoyos was finally able to rest in peace. Learn about one of Key West's most haunted homes. You cant turn the channel. Tanzler didnt seem to get bored living with Hoyos corpse. Sorry! He died in 1934, but his nephew is finally requesting for his body to be exhumed. It is through several key pieces of research he came across and our correspondence on these that inspired and made this article a possibility. 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]. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Maria was married at the age of 16 to a man named Luis Mesa, who abandoned her after she miscarried their child. The disease would later claim the lives of almost everyone in Hoyos immediate family, including her sister, Florinda Nana Milagro Hoyos. ", Learn how and when to remove this template message, Martello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical Museum, And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead, "Autopsy 6: Secrets of the Dead - The Strange Obsession of Dr. Carl Von Cosel", "The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel", "Ep. Tragically, de Hoyos died on October 25, 1931, at the age of 22. Despite everything, the statute of limitations had expired for the crime he was accused of committing, leaving Tanzler free to go. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. [1] In 1933, almost two years after her death, Tanzler removed Hoyos' body from its tomb, and lived with the corpse at his home for seven years until its discovery by Hoyos' relatives and authorities in 1940.[2]. 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. 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. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. He hoped she would return the same feelings. Tanzler grew up in Imperial Germany, but, at some point, wound up in Australia just prior to the outbreak of World War I. Please reset your password. The jig was up, and authorities confiscated the corpse. In Carl's autobiography, he does confess to kissing and cuddling Maria's cadaver. Now two years deceased, Carl Tanzler was left with the task of maintaining Hoyos corpse. 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. He was a radiologist or x-ray technician. There are no photographs or other sources to prove this. Nosy neighbours who peered through Carls window saw him dancing with the figure of a woman, and some thought it was a large doll. American Hauntings writes that it's unlikely she ever requited his affections. 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. [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. 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. All of Elenas immediate family had also passed away from tuberculosis by this point (Harrison 1996). Some reason, marias mother possessed a wig made out of her face to preserve her.... Bahama Lane procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website maria elena milagro de hoyos autopsy photos commenting using your account. More than one record for entered email, you need to confirm this before... Named Luis Mesa ( 19081974 ), the statute of limitations had expired for the he... 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