Carl tanzler biography

Tanzler attempted to cure Elena with a variety of treatments, remedies, X-rays, and other medical equipment that were brought to the Hoyos' home. Despite Tanzler's best efforts, Elena died of tuberculosis at her parents' home in Key West on October 25, One evening in April , 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 toy wagon , [ 10 ] 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. Tanzler attached the corpse's bones with piano wire and fitted the face with glass eyes. As the skin of the corpse decomposed, Tanzler replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and plaster of Paris.

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 also used copious amounts of perfume, disinfectants, and preserving agents to mask the odor and forestall the effects of the corpse's decomposition. In October , 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 authorities, and Tanzler was arrested and detained. 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.

He was released, as the statute of limitations for the crime had expired. Shortly after the corpse's discovery by authorities, physicians and pathologists examined Elena's body and put it on public display at the Dean-Lopez Funeral Home, where as many as 6, people viewed it. Her body was said to have been dismembered and placed in a metal box.

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. The public mood was generally sympathetic to Tanzler, whom many viewed as an eccentric "romantic". Though not reported contemporaneously, research most notably by authors Harrison and Swicegood has revealed evidence of Tanzler's necrophilia with Elena's corpse.

DePoo and Dr. Foraker who attended the autopsy of Elena's remains recalled in that a vaginal tube had been inserted in the vaginal area of the corpse that allowed for intercourse. 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 In , Tanzler moved to Pasco County, Florida , close to Zephyrhills , where he wrote an autobiography that appeared in the pulp publication , Fantastic Adventures , in His home was near his wife Doris, who helped to support Tanzler in his later years.

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, He died under the name "Carl Tanzler". 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 waxen image". 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. 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.

He cooked for her, sang to her, danced with her, and slept by her in his bed for almost a decade. He was also seen dancing with a ladylike figure behind closed curtains inside his home. Shockingly, she discovered that the doctor was living with her dead sister, and ran out in horror to report the case to the police. Tanzler was examined by a psychiatrist and deemed mentally competent to stand a trial.

One evening in April , Tanzler crept through the cemetery where Hoyos was buried and removed her body from the mausoleum, carting it through the cemetery after dark on a toy wagon, and transporting it to his home. Tanzler attached the corpse's bones together with wire and coat hangers, and fitted the face with glass eyes. As the skin of the corpse decomposed, Tanzler replaced it with silk cloth soaked in wax and plaster of paris.

He kept the body in his bed. In October, , Hoyos's body was discovered and the authorities notified. Tanzler was arrested and detained, but the case was eventually dropped and he was released, as the statute of limitations for the crime had expired. In , Tanzler moved to Pasco County, Florida close to Zephyrhills, Florida, where he wrote an autobiography that appeared in the Pulp publication, Fantastic Adventures , in Carl Tanzler pretended to be a doctor and offered to take care of Elena from her home.

He would steal equipment from the hospital and bring it over, along with gifts and money for her family. Elena was only 21 years old at the time, and Carl was He would constantly tell her how much he loved her, but, of course, she did not reciprocate his feelings.

Carl tanzler biography

In fact, Elena had married a man named Luis Mesa, and they were going to have a child together. Tragically, Elena miscarried, and it tore their relationship apart. Luis Mesa left her, but they never got a divorce.