Just 21 years old, and 32 years younger than Tanzler, Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos was brought to the hospital for an examination. There, he met Cuban-American Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos and became instantly infatuated. She would remain legally married to Luis until her death. Aconite is a plant native to Northern Asia and Europe. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos Birth 31 Jul 1909. He poisons her he poisons her to kill her quicker so he can have her as his own. For nearly 22 years, she had been the focus of his life, alive or dead. The Key West Citizen, 15 Aug. 1952, p. 1 + 4, Perez, B. 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. Happy for him, she decided to visit him and congratulate him on his relationship. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, known as Elena, walked into a Key West hospital suffering from a fatal infection of tuberculosis. Carls madness was discovered. Oops, we were unable to send the email. For some reason, Marias mother possessed a wig made out of her daughters hair, and she gifted this to Carl. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. 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). Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Weve updated the security on the site. Rigor mortis had set in, leaving her limbs stiffened in unnatural . In their case report of an aconite overdose, Wood et al. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Elena Hoyos (23114033)? I own that tomb and everything that is inside, not you! (p.70). 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. She had dark hair, was beautiful and was a foreigner. Change). He died in 1934, but his nephew is finally requesting for his body to be exhumed. 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. He thought of everything to make sure he could continue living with her corpsefor seven years! Whitfield Funeral Home, Zephyrhills. It was there in 1930 that Tanzler met the woman he believed was the love of his life; Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos. The disease would later claim the lives of almost everyone in Hoyos immediate family, including her sister, Florinda Nana Milagro Hoyos. He decided to open her casket. 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. Florida, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1823-1982, Florida, U.S., Marriage Indexes, 1822-1875 and 1927-2001, Your Scrapbook is currently empty. As the skin of the corpse decomposed, Tanzler replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and plaster of paris. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. 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. 1982, pp. 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. Maria Elena lies in some unmarked Floridian grave, in an 18 inch casket. Fantastic Adventures, Sep. 1947, pp.10 69. He even installed a telephone line to Elenas crypt so that he could continue speaking to her. As the hair fell out of Elena's decomposing scalp, Tanzler fashioned a wig from her hair, which he had previously obtained from her mother. This engraving with Elenas name can now be found at the Fort Martello Museum in Key West. The article in question, written by William Michelfelder (1982), opens as follows: the first page [of the journal] read clearly She died because I gave this to her mercifully. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. The town's people crowded the funeral parlor, eager to see the macabre curiosity. [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. The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Lust: a lover kills a rival for his/her object of desire; the thrill-killer who murders people because he gains a sexual payoff. When this was ineffective, he contemplated relocating her remains to the stratosphere. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. The public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as an eccentric "romantic". Before she died, Carl wrote in his journal how he had hopes that, despite the extensive damage, the lesions would heal again. Tanzler (born on February 8, 1877, in Dresden, Germany) knew from a young age that he had a soulmate. 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. [1], On April 22, 1930, while working at the Marine Hospital in Key West, Tanzler met Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (19091931), a local Cuban-American woman who had been brought to the hospital by her mother for an examination. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Tanzler was evidently consumed by obsessive lust for Elena. Her mother was worried about her declining health, but neither of them probably thought Tanzler would take an interest in her. That's when things took a turn for the macabre. Maria Elena Milagro De Hoyos, The Unwilling Corpse Bride With Special Guest Rachel O'Brien. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. 36 37. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. 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. It was estimated that she wouldnt have long to live, but Von Cosel disagreed. 22nd April 1930 would turn out to be a very fateful day. Elena's body was reclaimed and buried by the family in a secret location so that neither Von Cosel or the curious could disturb her grave. They vow to stay together, even after death. He hoped she would return the same feelings. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, Did the Wolves Ever Leave the Hen House? This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. Key West, Monroe County, Florida, USA. Even though people agreed Tanzler committed a crime, many members of the public felt sympathetic towards him. This is a carousel with slides. St. Martins True Crime Classics. He was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization.. Tanzler tried his best to cure Hoyos. Later, Carl Von Cosel believed that he could animate Elenas corpse with ultraviolet ray treatment. Tanzler was psychiatrically examined and found mentally competent to stand trial on the charge of "wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization. Even his penetrating stare and vandyke beard cant distract you from his obsession with the hospitalized woman in his care. Elenas doctors decided to not disclose possibly the most disturbing discovery they had made until after Carls death. In 1926, Tanzler emigrated to the U.S. from Germany, where he settled in Zephyrhills, Florida. She reported him to the police, and Carl was arrested. The family, considering Elena was fatally ill at this point, conceded. [1], Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse. Some asked if Key West could seal Elena within a glass case as a permanent exhibit. 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). She was his soulmate, so he created a life-size doll from a death mask that closely resembled his favorite woman. He provided free radiation treatments to Elena Hoyos, and a promise of marriage. Thrive MarketTry Thrive Market and become a member risk-free! 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. The charges against Tanzler were dropped as the statute of limitations on the crime had expired. 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]. Because of his medical knowledge, Tanzler knew he could save Hoyos. [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). Go to ThriveMarket.com/MORBID. 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. Meek, M. 610: Grand Gestures. To his absolute horror, Elenas putrefied body had begun to deteriorate. 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. Interested in learning more about the most haunted places on the Island? It was there that she met Dr. Carl Von Cosel, a doctor who was working to find a cure. Today's episode is dedicated to our Patron, Jacqueline! [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. In order to post comments, please make sure JavaScript and Cookies are enabled, and reload the page. and they were expecting their first child (Harrison 1996, Meek 2017, Weller 2019). He substituted her empty sockets with glass eyes. He did this, as needed, inside of an old airplane he had repurposed into a makeshift medical laboratory. Eventually, the corpse was reburried to an unmarked grave in Key West Cemetery, and Maria de Hoyos was finally able to rest in peace. Mencken Quotes On Politics, Religion, And The American Public, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. 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. Mrs. C.S. Are you visiting Key West? He lavished her with gifts, and professed his undying love, telling her he would love and care for her even if she died. p. 1 + 19. She was a waitress and homemaker. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Carl Von Cosels only solution was to steal her remains. 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? Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. This [incident] makes so much sense. Local townspeople in Key West noticed Tanzler was buying womens clothing and perfumes, but they thought he was in a serious relationship. Tanzler quickly abandoned his brood after accepting a position as a radiologic technician in Key West, where he worked at the U.S. Marine Hospital under the name Count Carl von Cosel. Suffer no more, sweet Elena. She was his soulmate and he would do whatever it took to always be by her side. Death . He also claimed nine university degrees and self-titled himself Count von Cosel, taking the name of an alleged ancestor. Was this act of murder justified by Tanzler as a mercy killing?. On October 25, 1931, Elena died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-two. This American Life. TSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Although he was already married with 2 daughters, Carl was immediately struck by Marias appearance. Although reporters wrote that Carl Von Cosel died alone in 1952, this is somewhat untrue. Tragically, de Hoyos died on October 25, 1931, at the age of 22. Maria Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos married Luis Roberto "Louis" Mesa. They either ignored or were unaware of the necrophilic aspects of the relationship.. From Cuba he settled in Zephyrhills, Florida, where his sister had already emigrated, and was later joined by his wife and two daughters. 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. Marias family soon became puzzled when Carl stopped visiting her grave, but they just assumed that he had finally moved on. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. April October 2019. https://masonholdings.org/radio-hour/Wood, C. Coulson J. Thompson S. + Bonner, S. An Intentional Aconite Overdose: A Case Study. There is sufficient evidence to state that Tanzler, if not experiencing loathing towards Elena herself, experienced much loathing towards the people and situations around her. He claimed to have 9 academic degrees (most likely false), and was also purported to have aristocratic blood, going by the title of Count whenever he could get away with it. The County Jail charged him of malicious and wanton disfigurement of a burial vault, yet the jurors found no law that he had broken. She looked upon von Cosel as a grandfather. Immortal Kisses Were His Goal. Fifty years ago she appeared to me in a vision, and she promised then to be my bride. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. 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 would briskly stroll around town with a cane and show off wristwatches claiming to be commissioned to him by the Czar of Russia. The skin of the public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as eccentric. Their case report of an aconite overdose, Wood et al become a member risk-free: //masonholdings.org/radio-hour/Wood C.... But they thought he was charged with wantonly and maliciously destroying a Grave, but his nephew finally! 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