---
title: "Carl Tanzler: The Depraved Man Who Lived With a Corpse for 7 Years"
description: "The disturbing true story of Carl Tanzler, a radiology assistant who became obsessed with tuberculosis patient Elena de Hoyos, dug up her corpse after her death, and lived with her preserved body for seven years."
url: https://casualcriminalist.pub/article/carl-tanzler-the-depraved-man-who-lived-with-a-corpse-for-7-years.md
canonical: https://casualcriminalist.pub/article/carl-tanzler-the-depraved-man-who-lived-with-a-corpse-for-7-years
datePublished: 2026-06-26
dateModified: 2026-06-26
author:
  - name: Dana Ortiz
    url: https://casualcriminalist.pub/author/dana-ortiz
publisher: Casual Criminalist
image: "https://media.casualcriminalist.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/hOesbR0Hg5c/hero.jpg"
type: Article
contentHash: f00c5b1036a607e0413870b7988c06ccc911367a970c7dfcacefcb38815ba685
tokens: 53
summaryUrl: https://casualcriminalist.pub/article/carl-tanzler-the-depraved-man-who-lived-with-a-corpse-for-7-years.md.summary.md
---

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The disturbing true story of Carl Tanzler, a radiology assistant who became obsessed with tuberculosis patient Elena de Hoyos, dug up her corpse after her death, and lived with her preserved body for seven years.
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