514 - Carl Tanzler: Romantic... Necrophiliac?
Summary
Dan Cummins explores the bizarre true story of Carl Tanzler, a German doctor who kept the embalmed corpse of his deceased lover, Elena de Hoyos, in his Key West home for seven years. The episode details Tanzler’s delusional belief that he could resurrect her, contextualized by a deep dive into the history of American funeral practices, the rise of modern embalming during the Civil War, and the cultural romanticization of tuberculosis.
Topics discussed
Intro and Carl Tanzler's obsession with Elena
Funeral costs, burial plots, and casket options
History of funerals, mourning jewelry, and embalming
Civil War embalming and the science of preservation
Sponsor breaks and ad reads
Carl Tanzler's background, paranormal beliefs, and move to Key West
Elena's life, tuberculosis history, and medical context
TB treatments, sanatoriums, and Carl meets Elena
Carl's harassment, Elena's death, and his initial grief
Exhuming Elena, embalming attempts, and moving her body
Keeping Elena in his home, necrophilia, and discovery
The trial, public reaction, and Carl's eventual death
Analysis of necrophilia, resuscitation myths, and outro
Listener mail: Transgender rights and bathroom debates
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