The Bizarre Case of the Man Who Lived With a Corpse

Carl Tanzler was charged with grave robbery and desecration of a body

In October 1940, investigators arrived at 63-year-old Carl Tanzler’s residence after being tipped off and discovered the body of Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos in his home in Key West, Florida.

Elena had already died several years ago in 1931 so what was her corpse doing in Tanzler’s house?

Elena’s corpse was unusual and resembled nothing of what she looked like when she was alive. The skin was fashioned out of silk that was soaked in wax and plaster. Her bones were connected with string and wire. The body of the corpse was stuffed with rags. The eyes were made out of glass and she wore a wig.

The authorities discovered that Tanzler had been living and sleeping with Elena’s corpse for many years.

Tanzler was immediately charged with “wantonly and maliciously destroying a grave and removing a body without authorization.”

What led Tanzler to do this and why did he lead such a bizarre life with a corpse?

Obsession with Elena

Tanzler first met Elena in 1930. She was a pretty and dark-haired 22-year old Cuban American woman who was suffering from tuberculosis. She arrived to be treated at the hospital where Tanzler worked as a radiology technologist. Tanzler immediately becoming infatuated with her.

Many years ago, Tanzler had visions of his true love. In his vision, his lover was beautiful, dark-haired, and resembled Elena. That was enough for him to determine that he and Elena were meant to be together. The age difference did not bother him even though he was in his 50s and Elena was so much younger.

Despite Tanzler’s feelings, there is no mention that Elena reciprocated his love. Besides she was already a married woman and was just separated from her husband. It seemed to be all one-sided on Tanzler’s part.

Tanzler took great pains to take care of Elena and he wanted to cure her of tuberculosis. He attempted to treat her with medicines and even brought in X-rays and electrical equipment into her home. He also bought her gifts including jewelry and furniture.

Despite his best efforts, Elena passed away in her parents’ home. Tanzler was grief-stricken but he was so in love with her that he paid for her funeral and a mausoleum where she could be buried in the Key West Cemetery.

In an excerpt of his memoirs, he wrote down his thoughts when attending her funeral,

For now, the long, sad, worldly struggle was all over. My bride was beyond malice, beyond unhappiness, beyond her pain. She was in the hand of God, the best, the gentlest hands that be.

Living with a corpse

Even after Elena’s death, Tanzler continued to be obsessed with the memory of Elena. He would routinely visit the mausoleum where she was buried every night.

After 2 years, he made the strange decision to bring Elena’s corpse to his home. He removed the corpse from the tomb.

His next step was to preserve the decomposing corpse. He used all kinds of DIY tricks to maintain the corpse such as adding the glass eyes, connecting the bones with string and wire, and stuffing the body. To tolerate the smell, he added perfume, flowers, and disinfectant.

Tanzler dressed up the corpse and then placed it on his bed where he would reportedly sleep with it for the next 7 years.

There are some reports that suggest Tanzler was engaged in necrophilia with the corpse. However, he was never officially charged with this. Regardless, this would have been truly horrifying.

Discovery of the corpse

While living with the corpse, Tanzler became reclusive and the talk of the town. He had lost his job and no one knew about his activities. He was often seen buying women’s clothes and perfumes. A witness had also seen him dance with a giant doll.

Hearing the rumors from the public, Elena’s sister became concerned and confronted Tanzler at his home. She found her sister’s corpse and immediately contacted the authorities who arrested and detained Tanzler.

Tanzler was psychiatrically examined and then charged with grave robbery and tampering with a body. However, the statute of limitations had expired and the case against Tanzler was dropped.

Meanwhile, Elena’s body was autopsied, placed on public display, and then buried in a secret location.

Conclusion

Tanzler died at the age of 75 in 1952. It is reported that he constructed a life-sized effigy of Elena and lived with it until his death.

There is no doubt that Tanzler was an eccentric man. His crime was removing the body of the woman he loved and tampering with it.

However, some people consider his actions to be romantic.

Tanzler’s case isn’t straightforward. While his crime might seem unusual and even minor, the reports of necrophilia are disturbing. If he hadn’t been discovered, could his obsession have taken a darker turn?

Sources: All That's Interesting, Wikipedia, The Secret of Elena’s Tomb

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