Is this true love? Carl Taenzler was born in Germany and worked as a scientist in the 1930s. He fell in love with a woman and stayed true to her long past her death. But the way he did it gives many people goosebumps.
In 1930, Taenzler was working at a military hospital in Florida as an X-ray technician. He went by the name of Dr. Carl Graf von Cosel. There he met 21-year-old Cuban-American, Elena de Hoyos, during her visit to the hospital.
Taenzler claimed he’d had visions and dreams of her prior to their meeting and fell deeply in love with the girl. But she was already married at the time, even though she and her husband lived separately. The beautiful, young girl also had little interest in 53-year-old Taenzler. He overwhelmed her with gifts and tried to prove his devotion, but she always sent him packing.
When she came down with tuberculosis at the beginning of 1931, Taenzler did everything he could to save her. He wasn’t a doctor, but he used all the knowledge and money he had to try and support her recovery. It wasn’t enough, however, and Elena died on October 25th, 1931 when she was just 23 years old. Taenzler fell apart, paid for her entire funeral, and convinced her family to build a mausoleum where he grieved each night.
But that still wasn’t enough for Taenzler. One evening in April 1933, two years after she had passed away, Taenzler crept into the graveyard and took what remained of the body of his great love. Supposedly her voice came to him, begging him to rescue her.
Once he got her home, he primed her body with glass eyes, yarn, and wire hangers. He used silk thickened with wax and plaster to replace her skin.
He inserted glass eyes, dressed her in clothes, and put her in his bed. He masked the awful smell of decay with a large amount of conservation chemicals and perfume.
He slept by her side night after night until 1940 when Elena’s sister heard rumors about Taenzler. She confronted the man and was disgusted to find the body of her dead sister in his bed.
Taenzler was arrested and the story quickly spread around the world.
A psychologist attested to his mental health during his trial and he was found guilty of corpse robbery, destruction of a graveyard, and vandalism. However, at the time of the trial his actions had passed the statute of limitations in Florida, so he was released.
He later moved to a different city and led a peaceful, uneventful life. However, his obsession never waned. He constantly drew pictures of Elena and in 1952 he died holding a picture of the girl.
You can find out more about this very strange love story in this video…
Today, Taenzler’s life story is controversial. Some think he was unbelievably romantic, while others think he was sick. The story is fascinating in any case and probably would make a great horror film!
