An Ohio man living in Puerto Rico appears to have been gunned down execution-style while camping by himself at a beach on the Caribbean island, RadarOnline.com can report.
Tyler Wilkin’s final text messages to his girlfriend mentioned another man nearby who was setting off fireworks and howling like a wolf, whom he nicknamed “The Howler.”
Wilkin, who moved to the island in 2024, was camping alone in a remote part of Puerto Rico, called Playa la Selva. A person taking a sunrise walk on July 10 found his body.
Police say the 35-year-old suffered a single gunshot to the back of the head, and noted Wilkin was shot at close range, “execution style.”
Wilkin’s girlfriend, Iva Mo, said she had dropped him off at his campsite on Wednesday, July 8. Over the next two days, he sent pictures and video from his campsite and where he was out catching and cooking fish.
“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,” said Mo, who is still trying to process what happened.
Mo said Wilkin would always text her each morning to say, “Good morning, love.” However, she became worried when on one fateful day, “I didn’t get a text message from him.”
Wilkin’s final text messages came overnight, when he mentioned a man who was lighting off fireworks and howling like a wolf. But his messages seemed to indicate he was just laughing off the strange situation.
“He had texted to one of our friends saying, ‘The howler is back!’ And then, at two in the morning, like two hours later, he said something like, ‘This guy is getting rowdy, LOL,'” Mo said. “And that was the last that we ever heard of him.”
Wilkin’s body was found in the mangroves just after 6 a.m. on July 10. No arrests have been announced.
Wilkin’s friends and family have been discouraged by the lack of arrests or answers from local police in Puerto Rico, and have launched a GoFundMe page so they can fund a private investigation.
“We lost Tyler far too soon, and the grief left behind is impossible to put into words,” the GoFundMe states. “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.
“To support this effort, we are raising [money] to hire a private investigator who can help uncover answers and ensure that every possible avenue is explored. Our hope is that, through this additional support, we can find clarity and honor Tyler’s memory with the dedication and care he deserves.”
After originally hoping to raise $15,000, the response was overwhelming, and the family increased the goal to $30,000.
Wilkin’s friends also want closure after the loss of their pal.
“Tyler didn’t surround himself with good people, good people surrounded Tyler because he really was so magnetic and he drew out the best in people,” Wilkin’s friend, Charles Bucher, told WKRC.
“He made people better. He was such a good soul. So it really is incomprehensible that someone would do this.”
Mo added, “And he’s just someone that is just so open with his heart, open to love, not just me, but to everyone. To just one day wake up and not have him anymore, I can’t even describe the feeling.”