The Corpse Bride of Key West
How far did Tanzler's obsession go?
4.7 (15)
53 mins
Discover the mystery of Elena de Hoyos in Key West, and how obsession led Tanzler to secretly keep and preserve Elena’s corpse for years after her death. Learn how bizarre case became one of the strangest stories in American true crime history.
Ep 1:
A Childhood Vision, A Dying Girl
A boy's ghostly prophecy in 1889 Dresden echoes decades later when a self-styled Count meets a tubercular young beauty in Key West, sealing a terrifying fate.
Ep 2:
Desperate Cures, Deathly Devotion
Karl's frantic, unproven treatments fail to save Elena, and after her death he builds her a private mausoleum, keeping the only key to her nightly visits.
Ep 3:
Seven Years With a Corpse Bride
Karl steals Elena's decaying corpse and spends seven horrifying years rebuilding her with wire, wax and glass eyes, living beside her as his secret wife.
Ep 4:
The Loophole That Set Him Free
A boy's glimpse through a window unravels Karl's secret, leading to a shocking arrest, grim public exhibition, and a legal technicality no one saw coming.
Ep 5:
The Last Effigy of Elena
Freed but never free of his obsession, Karl builds one final effigy of Elena in his last years, blurring truth and legend until his death.
Discussions (5)
Freya
Level 2 · 4 mo agoI paused to look up if they actually put her body on public display and yea they really did. Almost 7000 people went to see her! That is so messed up and just completely disrespectful to her family 😭
Quinn
Level 3 · 4 mo agoThe man built a spaceship to resurrect a rotting corpse he held together with piano wire. The public calling him a hopeless romantic just proves we desperately need to raise our relationship standards.
Joan
Level 6 · 4 mo agoI completely disagree with those evaluators. Living with a corpse is clearly a severe psychotic break.
