Carl Tanzler

Carl Tanzler
Tanzler in 1942
Born
Karl Tänzler or Georg Karl Tänzler

(1877-02-08)February 8, 1877
Dresden, Kingdom of Saxony, German Empire
DiedJuly 3, 1952(1952-07-03) (aged 75)
Pasco County, Florida, U.S.
OccupationRadiology technologist
SpouseDoris Tanzler
Children2

Georg Carl Tänzler, 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. He developed an obsession with a young Cuban-American tuberculosis patient, Elena "Helen" Milagro de Hoyos (July 31, 1909 – October 25, 1931), that carried on well after her death.[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]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Swicegood was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "A Macabre Love Story". Crime Library. Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved August 24, 2006. 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.