356:, a disease typically fatal at the time and which eventually would claim the lives of almost all of her immediate family. Tanzler, with his self-professed medical knowledge, attempted to cure Elena with a variety of treatments, remedies, X-rays, and other medical equipment that were brought to the Hoyos' home. Tanzler also showered Elena with gifts of jewelry and clothing, and allegedly professed his love to her, but no evidence has surfaced to show that Elena reciprocated any of his affection.
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engineering and electrical work there, bought property, boats, an organ, an island in the
Pacific—so that he was still in Australia at the end of ten years. He had just begun to build a trans-ocean flyer when the war broke out and the British military authorities placed him in a concentration camp for 'safe-keeping' along with many officers India and China who were prisoners of war. Later he was removed to
365:
835:
Ayesha T. Bucey (Ann), 76, of
Zephyrhills, died Sunday (December 27, 1998) at East Pasco Medical Center. She came here 71 years ago from her native Dresden, Germany. She was a waitress and homemaker. She was graduate of Zephyrhills High School and a member of the Zephyrhills Alumni and Friends. She
566:
The story of
Tanzler and Elena would be reproduced in pulp magazines in the years following his death, with various parties adding new details to the case. An article written by Michelfelder in 1982 tells of how renovation workers found a note allegedly written by Tanzler, confessing to have killed
559:
It has been recounted that
Tanzler was found in the arms of Elena's effigy upon discovery of his corpse. Still, his obituary reported that he died on the floor behind one of his organs. The obituary recounted: "a metal cylinder on a shelf above a table in it wrapped in silken cloth and a robe was a
497:
of Elena's remains recalled in 1972 that a vaginal tube had been inserted in the vaginal area of the corpse that allowed for intercourse. 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
466:
where the remains were buried in an unmarked grave, in a secret location, to prevent further tampering. Her body was said to have been dismembered and placed in a metal box. Portions of the original memorial plaque commissioned by
Tanzler and affixed to Elena Hoyos's mausoleum have been reassembled
215:
to a castle-like prison on the cliffs, and there the work in this narrative was accomplished. 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. When Carl von Cosel was released he set out to find his mother
152:
patient, Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (July 31, 1909 – October 25, 1931), that carried on well after her death. 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
426:
In
October 1940, Elena's sister Florinda heard rumors of Tanzler sleeping with the disinterred body of her sister. She 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). Florinda notified the
210:
Many years ago, Carl von Cosel travelled from India to
Australia with the intention of proceeding to the South Seas Islands. He paused in Australia to collect equipment and suitable boats, and to become acquainted with prevailing weather and sea conditions. However, he became interested in
410:
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. Tanzler also used copious amounts of perfume, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor and forestall the effects of the corpse's
571:
She died because I gave this to her mercifully. I mixed the root of wolfsbane (monkshood) with aconite diluted. It was palatable and my loved one departed this miserable world on
October 25, 1931. Suffer no more sweet Elena. I have sent you to the angels with my golden elixir...
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from whom he had not heard since the beginning of the war. Finding her safe, he remained with her for three years, witnessing the chaos that followed in the wake of the war. ... Finally, she suggested that her son return to his sister in the United States
322:
woman who had been brought to the hospital by her mother for an examination. Tanzler immediately recognized her as the beautiful dark-haired woman revealed to him in his earlier "visions." By all accounts, Hoyos was viewed as a local beauty in Key West.
395:, and transported it to his home. He reportedly said that Elena's spirit would come to him when he would sit by her grave and serenade her corpse with a favorite Spanish song. He also said that she would often tell him to take her from the grave.
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was
Methodist. Survivors include her daughter, Susan McKee, Zephyrhills; two sons, Jon Clendening, Portland, Oregon, and Gary Clendening, Hallowell, Maine; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Whitfield Funeral Home, Zephyrhills.
498:
years after the case had been dismissed, the necrophilia allegation is questionable. 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
326:
Elena was the daughter of local cigar maker Francisco "Pancho" Hoyos (1883–1934) and Aurora Milagro (1881–1940). She had two sisters, Florinda "Nana" Milagro Hoyos (1906–1944), who married Mario Medina
239:
Around 1920, following his return to Germany, Tanzler married Doris Schäfer (1889–1977). Together they had two children: Ayesha Tanzler (1922–1998), and Clarista Tanzler (1924–1934), who died of
576:
Perez also claimed Tanzler had once told him that he "would kill Elena if necessary to fulfil destiny". The poison confession letter article was also cited by historian David L. Sloan on episode 44 of the
695:
Radiologist Carl von Cosel, 56, became obsessed with one of the tuberculosis patients at the sanitarium where he worked. Her name was Maria Elena de Hoyos and she was a beautiful, 22-year-old woman.
236:, who mentions that he planned to escape from the Gaol with "Count Carl von Cosel" in a sailboat, and provides other information about the internment of Germans in Australia during World War I.
563:
It has been written (most notably by Swicegood) that Tanzler had the bodies switched (or that Elena's remains were secretly returned to him) and that he died with the real body of Elena.
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of Elena and lived with it until his death at age 75 on July 3, 1952. His body was discovered on the floor of his home three weeks after his death. He died under the name "Carl Tanzler".
380:
at her parents' home in Key West on October 25, 1931. Tanzler paid for her funeral, and with the permission of her family, he then commissioned the construction of an above-ground
486:) and created a sensation among the public, both regionally and nationwide. The public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as an eccentric "romantic".
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One evening in April 1933, Tanzler crept through the cemetery where Elena was buried and removed her body from the mausoleum, carting it through the cemetery after dark on a
338:; and Celia Milagro Hoyos (1913–1934). Medina, Nana's husband, was electrocuted trying to rescue a coworker who hit a powerline with his crane at a construction site.
948:
406:. 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. Tanzler filled the corpse's
199:
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examined Elena's body and put it on public display at the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home, where as many as 6,800 people viewed it. Elena's body was eventually returned to the
271:, where his sister had already emigrated, and was later joined by his wife and two daughters. Leaving his family behind in Zephyrhills in 1927, he took a job as a
927:
A German citizen, his real name was Carl Tanzler, and though he was well-read in many subjects, it is doubtful that he had any real schooling in the various ...
711:
192:. The following "Editorial Note" accompanying the autobiographical account "The Trial Bay Organ: A Product of Wit and Ingenuity" by "Carl von Cosel" in the
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On February 18, 1926, Elena married Luis Mesa (1908–1974), the son of Caridad and Isaac Mesa. Mesa left Elena shortly after she suffered a
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Though not reported contemporaneously, research (most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood) has revealed evidence of Tanzler's
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to stand trial on the charge of "wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization." After a
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The facts underlying the case and the preliminary hearing drew much interest from the media at the time (most notably, from the
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Courthouse in Key West, Tanzler was held to answer on the charge, but the case was eventually dropped. He was released, as the
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402:. As the skin of the corpse decomposed, Tanzler replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and
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of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos (1909–1931) encased in wax and plaster circa 1940.
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Michelfelder, William (1982). "Florida's Dr. Frankenstein and His Laboratory of Love".
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with Elena's corpse. Two physicians (Dr. DePoo and Dr. Foraker) who attended the 1940
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294:, who revealed the face of his true love, an exotic dark-haired woman, to him.
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945:"Autopsy 6: Secrets of the Dead - The Strange Obsession of Dr. Carl Von Cosel"
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of March and April 1939, gives details about his stay in Australia before his
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Tanzler attached the corpse's bones with piano wire and fitted the face with
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Tanzler left Germany, a country that was dispirited and defeated after the
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971:"Ghosts of East Martello | Key West Art & Historical Society"
318:, Tanzler met Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos (1909–1931), a local
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During his childhood in Germany, and later while traveling briefly in
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Shortly after the corpse's discovery by authorities, physicians and
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1061:"The Living Doll of Key West: Elena Hoyos & Count Von Cosel"
784:, and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States, ...
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authorities, and Tanzler was arrested and detained. Tanzler was
710:. Supreme Council of the Rosicrucian Order. November 21, 2017.
553:
260:
349:. Elena was legally married to Mesa at the time of her death.
538:
346:
206:, as well as his subsequent return to Germany after the War:
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Carl Tanzler's release, Associated Press on October 12, 1940
1026:
Perez, Bienvenido (n.d.). "The Mad Scientist of Key West".
760:
Undying Love: The True Story Of A Passion That Defied Death
264:
129:(February 8, 1877 – July 3, 1952), was a German-born
16:
German-born American radiology technologist and erotomaniac
800:. Kandy: Buddhist Publication Society. pp. 53–54.
741:"The Trial Bay Organ: A Product of Wit and Ingenuity".
733:"The Trial Bay Organ: A Product of Wit and Ingenuity".
523:, where he wrote an autobiography that appeared in the
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Martello Gallery-Key West Art and Historical Museum
454:
Elena Hoyos corpse on display at Lopez Funeral Home
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646:
795:
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796:Nyanatusita, Bhikkhu; Hecker, Hellmuth (2008).
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376:Despite Tanzler's best efforts, Elena died of
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310:On April 22, 1930, while working at the
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352:Elena was subsequently diagnosed with
1067:from the original on January 23, 2021
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917:from the original on October 30, 2021
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714:from the original on October 30, 2021
951:from the original on January 7, 2010
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345:of the couple's child and moved to
334:–1944) and also succumbed to
255:from Germany in 1926, sailing from
13:
1059:Sagers, Aaron (February 3, 2021).
1034:
1016:
292:Countess Anna Constantia von Cosel
47:Karl Tänzler or Georg Karl Tänzler
14:
1168:
1157:People from the Kingdom of Saxony
1137:Marine Hospital Service personnel
1147:People from Zephyrhills, Florida
1112:Emigrants from the German Empire
833:. December 31, 1998. p. 8.
184:but, at some point, wound up in
1122:Immigrants to the United States
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283:under the name Carl von Cosel.
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1:
798:The Life of Nyanatiloka Thera
745:. April 1939. pp. 92–96.
737:. March 1939. pp. 54–58.
601:
328:
156:
1132:History of Key West, Florida
359:
298:Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos
188:just before the outbreak of
7:
873:. St. Martin's True Crime.
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447:for the crime had expired.
439:on October 9, 1940, at the
267:. From Cuba, he settled in
228:, his secret building of a
10:
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515:In 1944, Tanzler moved to
467:and are on display at the
722:– via Google Books.
535:United States citizenship
112:
104:
94:
75:
42:
30:
23:
591:Incidents of necrophilia
232:, etc., is confirmed by
1117:Immigrants to Australia
645:Swicegood, Tom (2003).
567:Elena by poisoning her:
552:to create a life-sized
259:on February 6, 1926 to
180:Tanzler grew up in the
169:on February 8, 1877 in
135:Marine-Hospital Service
1048:. pp. 7–9, 54–61.
865:Harrison, Ben (2001).
756:Harrison, Ben (2001).
743:The Rosicrucian Digest
735:The Rosicrucian Digest
675:"A Macabre Love Story"
574:
455:
445:statute of limitations
423:
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131:radiology technologist
99:Radiology technologist
1030:. pp. 28, 67–69.
897:Sloan, David (1998).
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517:Pasco County, Florida
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234:Nyanatiloka Mahathera
224:Tanzler's account of
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153:authorities in 1940.
87:Pasco County, Florida
831:St. Petersburg Times
708:"Rosicrucian Digest"
530:Fantastic Adventures
511:Later life and death
277:U.S. Marine Hospital
273:radiology technician
269:Zephyrhills, Florida
127:Count Carl von Cosel
1152:People from Dresden
829:"Ayesha T. Bucey".
544:Separated from his
437:preliminary hearing
431:examined and found
306:Elena Milagro Hoyos
1028:Men True Adventure
900:Ghosts of Key West
766:St. Martin's Press
685:on August 27, 2006
456:
433:mentally competent
424:
374:
308:
195:Rosicrucian Digest
167:Georg Karl Tänzler
141:. He developed an
123:Georg Carl Tänzler
1107:Counts in Germany
1004:Missing or empty
947:. HBO.com. 2005.
910:978-0-9674498-0-7
903:. Phantom Press.
880:978-0-312-97802-0
775:978-0-312-97802-0
660:978-0-595-74652-1
548:, Tanzler used a
507:program in 1999.
464:Key West Cemetery
386:Key West Cemetery
281:Key West, Florida
139:Key West, Florida
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65:Kingdom of Saxony
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991:. July 24, 1952.
989:Key West Citizen
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977:. June 15, 2016.
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681:. Archived from
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477:Key West Citizen
404:plaster of Paris
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125:, also known as
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57:February 8, 1877
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37:Tanzler in 1942
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560:waxen image".
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83:(aged 75)
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145:with a young
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108:Doris Tanzler
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69:German Empire
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1071:February 11,
1069:. Retrieved
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1027:
1006:|title=
988:
983:
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965:
953:. Retrieved
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919:. Retrieved
899:
869:Undying Love
868:
834:
830:
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797:
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718:November 21,
716:. Retrieved
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687:. Retrieved
683:the original
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483:Miami Herald
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460:pathologists
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378:tuberculosis
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354:tuberculosis
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336:tuberculosis
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288:Genoa, Italy
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163:Karl Tänzler
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150:tuberculosis
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81:(1952-07-03)
79:July 3, 1952
25:Carl Tanzler
18:
1142:Necrophiles
1097:1952 deaths
1092:1877 births
921:October 17,
579:NightMerica
537:in 1950 in
521:Zephyrhills
519:, close to
491:necrophilia
343:miscarriage
332: 1905
190:World War I
1086:Categories
955:August 24,
689:August 24,
602:References
550:death mask
400:glass eyes
242:diphtheria
200:internment
157:Early life
95:Occupation
53:1877-02-08
997:cite news
816:801558128
649:Von Cosel
581:podcast.
546:obsession
408:abdominal
393:toy wagon
382:mausoleum
360:Obsession
257:Rotterdam
249:emigrated
213:Trial Bay
186:Australia
143:obsession
1065:Archived
949:Archived
915:Archived
712:Archived
585:See also
316:Key West
247:Tanzler
230:sailboat
113:Children
504:Autopsy
495:autopsy
384:in the
275:at the
251:to the
202:during
175:Germany
171:Dresden
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554:effigy
370:corpse
261:Havana
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105:Spouse
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539:Tampa
347:Miami
1073:2021
1010:help
957:2006
923:2016
905:ISBN
875:ISBN
812:OCLC
802:ISBN
770:ISBN
720:2017
691:2006
655:ISBN
480:and
368:The
265:Cuba
76:Died
43:Born
500:HBO
314:in
279:in
220:...
165:or
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