An Ohio man who had been living in Puerto Rico was found shot dead in what police believe was an execution-style killing while camping alone on a secluded Caribbean beach — shortly after telling friends about a troubling man he called “the howler.”
Tyler Wilkin’s body was discovered around 6 a.m. on July 10 near Playa la Selva, a remote beach surrounded by forest in northeastern Puerto Rico, after a beachgoer came across him during a morning walk, WKRC reported.
The 35-year-old had been shot once in the back of the head, and local authorities believe the fatal shot was fired at close range, according to the outlet.
Wilkin had been dropped off at the isolated campsite by his girlfriend on July 8. He spent two days there before sending unsettling messages about a person nicknamed “the howler,” who he said had been causing problems nearby.
The unidentified man had allegedly been setting off fireworks near Wilkin’s campsite and “howling like a wolf.”
“The howler is back!” Wilkin wrote to a friend on the night he was killed.
His final message came a few hours later, according to his girlfriend, Iva Mo.
“At two in the morning, like two hours later, he said something like, ‘This guy is getting rowdy, LOL.’ And that was the last that we ever heard of him,” Mo told the outlet. She said she realized something was wrong when Wilkin did not send his usual daily message to her.
“Like six in the morning he consistently, always, texts me, ‘Good morning, love.’ And I didn’t get a text message from him,” she said, fearing the worst.
Wilkin’s body was found in the mangroves just after 6 a.m. on July 10, local news outlet Tele 11 reported.
No arrests have been announced in Wilkin’s murder.
Mo speculated her boyfriend was killed during an attempted robbery as friends and family blasted Puerto Rico police for the lack of development into the investigation.
“To have his entire future just taken away like that in just a split second for what? Like over a wallet or over, I don’t know, for whatever reason, like, it’s just really hard to accept,” Mo said.
Relatives created a GoFundMe to fundraise for a private investigator to “uncover answers and ensure that every possible avenue is explored.”
“We lost Tyler far too soon, and the grief left behind is impossible to put into words. As his family and friends continue to navigate this heartbreaking loss, we are determined to do everything we can to seek the truth and ensure that Tyler receives the justice he deserves,” the fundraiser read.
“Tyler deserved a full life, and he deserves for every possible avenue to be explored,” Lilly Wright, the GoFundMe organizer, wrote.
Wilkin, originally from Wilmington, Ohio, an hour northwest of Cincinnati, had moved to Puerto Rico in January 2024, where his adventurous spirit allowed him to enjoy life by the beach, his family said in his obituary.
He is survived by many family members including his parents, older brother, twin sister and younger sisters, his obituary states.
“He lived life with enthusiasm and was never afraid to embrace the unexpected. He had a way of making life feel exciting and meaningful. His laughter was contagious, his smile was genuine, and his happiness was something he shared freely with everyone around him,” his family said.
