Georg Karl Tänzler arrived in the United States in 1926, eventually settling into a role as a radiology technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital in Key West, Florida. Under the alias Count Carl von Cosel, his life became defined by a clinical obsession with a tuberculosis patient, leading to actions that disturbed the local community in 1940.
Early Travels and Internment
Born in Dresden, Germany, in 1877, Tänzler spent his early adulthood traversing India and Australia. Following the outbreak of World War I, he was detained in Australian internment camps, including the facility at Trial Bay, due to his German nationality. After the conflict, he was sent to the Netherlands and eventually reunited with his family before emigrating to the United States in 1926 via Rotterdam.
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In 1927, Tänzler left his wife, Doris Schäfer, and their children in Zephyrhills, Florida, to accept a position at the Marine Hospital in Key West. He utilized his training in radiology and medicine to attempt various treatments for tuberculosis patients. In 1930, he encountered Maria Elena Milagro de Hoyos, a patient who he claimed matched a woman he had seen in persistent childhood visions of his ancestor, Countess Anna Constantia von Cosel.
The Removal of Elena Hoyos
After Elena Hoyos died of tuberculosis in 1931, Tänzler financed a mausoleum for her burial. In April 1933, he removed her remains from the structure and transported them to his residence. Over the next seven years, he attempted to preserve the body using piano wire, glass eyes, plaster of Paris, and silk soaked in wax. His actions were discovered by authorities and the victim's family in 1940.
Fast facts
- Born: 1877, Dresden, Germany
- Died: 1952
- Buried: Oakside Cemetery
- Citizenship: Germany and United States
- Occupation: Physician and radiologist
- Known Alias: Count Carl von Cosel
Questions readers ask
What medical role did Tänzler hold in Key West?
He worked as a radiology technician at the U.S. Marine Hospital.
How long did he possess the remains of Elena Hoyos?
He kept the body at his home for seven years, from 1933 until its discovery in 1940.
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