Carl Tanzler

Georg Carl Tänzler was a German-American necrophilic responsible for the grave robbing of Cuban-American Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos in Florida during the 1930s.

Background[]

Tanzler grew up in the Second Reich, but fled to Australia before World War I, practicing in electrical and mechanical engineering privately. He was interned at the camps in Australia as the world broke out, then deported to Holland like other prisoners. After reuniting with his mother, she encouraged him to reside with his sister in the U.S. Beforehand, Tanzler married Doris Schäfer and had two children with her, Ayesha and Clarista; Clarista died of diptheria at age 10. Tanzler and his family moved to Florida, he abandoned them at Zephyrhills to move to Key West, where he worked as a radiology technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital. He accounted he repeatedly dreamed since he was a child his ancestor, Countess Anna von Cosel, would show Tanzler the face of his true love, a dark-haired, foreign woman. Tanzler believed he saw such a woman in Maria, who was brought into the hospital by her mother. She was diagnosed with tuberculosis, a disease that took most of her family from her, and Tanzler failed to treat her and save her life.

Case History[]

Although Maria was regarded as not having reciprocated Tanzler, he became obsessed with her, told her he was in love with her, and tried to please her with gifts. After she died, Tanzler paid for Maria's funeral, then a mausoleum at the Key West Cemetery for her to be housed him. Tanzler visited her repeatedly, hallucinating she would come from beyond the grave to serenade him in Spanish, as well as to take her home with him. In April 1933, he removed her corpse and took her to his house. She was embalmed, decorated, and sexually abused by Tanzler for seven years. In October 1940, Maria's sister Florinda confronted Tanzler after hearing rumors about his grave robbing, then found Maria in his possession, having him arrested. Tanzler was found sane for trial, but the statute of limitations for the crime had expired, so he was released. After Maria's remains were displayed at the Dean-Lopez funeral for public spectation for a time, she was dismembered and placed in an unmarked grave to prevent her remains from being robbed again. As the news of the case was nationwide, people shockingly commiserated with Tanzler, arguing his crimes were "romance".

Later Life and Death[]

Tanzler relocated to Pasco County, wrote an autobiography published in pulp magazines, and received American citizenship in 1950. He compensated for Maria being removed from his home by constructing a death mask effigy of her for himself. He died on July 3, 1952, at the age of 65.

Modus Operandi[]

Tanzler originally harassed Maria with gifts, such as jewelry and clothing, when she was alive. When she was dead, Tanzler removed her from the mausoleum she was entombed in, took her to his car in a toy wagon and back to his house, and embalmed her to preserve her remains in crude fashions. Her bones were tied together with piano wire, her eyes glass, her skin covered in wax and plaster, her body stuffed with rags. Maria was kept in Tanzler's bed and covered with jewelry, stockings, and gloves. Her odor and decay were masked with perfumes, disinfectants, and preservative chemicals. When Tanzler raped Maria's remains, he reportedly inserted a tube into her vaginal cavity so he'd have more ease in penetrating her.

Known Victims[]

Elena Milagro Hoyos — Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos

1933-1940, Key West, Florida: Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, 22 (stole form her grave, embalmed, and raped postmortem)

On Suspect Behavior[]

Season One
- "Devotion" - Tanzler was mentioned in the episode.