Friends and family of a man from Ohio are trying to raise funds to hire a private investigator to look into his murder, reported on July 10 at La Selva Beach in Luquillo.

The deceased was identified by authorities as Tyler Wilkin, 35 years old.

The GoFundMe fundraising campaign states that they are “determined to leave no stone unturned in the search for the truth, and these additional funds will help us cover each and every expense that may arise during the private investigation.”

“We remain hopeful that there will be answers and a resolution, and we are committed to making that happen,” he added.

In addition, it notes that the original goal was to raise $15,000, but that, given the “extraordinary” support from donors, they decided to increase the goal to $30,000. It was also explained that any remaining funds will be given to the family to cover the funeral expenses for Wilkin, who had reportedly moved to Puerto Rico in 2024.

“He’s not just a murder victim,” said Iva Mo, who publicly identified herself as Wilkin’s girlfriend, according to Fox19. “He was the love of my life, my best friend. Tyler deserved to come home. And he deserves answers; our entire community deserves justice.”

Preliminary information indicates that a person walking along the beach on Friday morning spotted the body. Authorities later found that Wilkin’s body presented a gunshot wound to the head.

Last Monday, Captain Edwin Collazo González, director of the Criminal Investigations Corps (CIC) in Fajardo, told El Nuevo Día that they were in the process of searching the victim’s phone to try to get an idea of what happened at the time of the incident.

According to Collazo González, Wilkin had been camping alone since Wednesday, July 8, on the beach that is part of the Northeast Ecological Corridor. His friends had planned to arrive there on Friday, the same day he was found dead.

The body was found some distance from the spot where Wilkin had set up his tent and were he left his belongings.

The officer noted that they interviewed several people who were in nearby camps, who said they had seen a vehicle pass through the area, although their descriptions did not match: some spoke of a bus, while others said it was a car.

Collazo González added in that interview that “no one heard any gunshots.”

Meanwhile, people close to the victim told media outlets in Ohio that Wilkin had written to them about noises he had heard.

His friends explained that, a few days before his death, Wilkin had organized a group to go camping at La Selva Beach, where he had camped before.

Mo explained that he left it there on Wednesday, July 8, to save the spot for when the rest of his friends arrived over the weekend.

According to their accounts, Wilkin sent them text messages that included photos and videos of him fishing and cooking.

However, he also reportedly mentioned a man who was setting off fireworks and howling like a wolf.

“He sent a message to one of our friends saying, ‘The howler is back!’ And then, at 2:00 a.m., about two hours later, he said something like, ‘This guy is getting loud, LOL.’ And that was the last we heard from him,” Mo said to WKRC in Cincinnati.

According to the news report, Mo and Charles Bucher, a friend of Wilkin’s, said they were dissatisfied with the investigation led by the Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD), so they launched a fundraising campaign to hire a private investigator.

According to WKRC, Wilkin’s father is a cousin of Ohio State Senator Shane Wilkin, who asked Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson to look into the investigation.

WKRC reported that Wilson told the senator that the police “weren’t much help at all. I think it’s a cultural difference in how law enforcement is carried out.”

Meanwhile, his loved ones continue to cope with the loss of someone they described as “the friend who was always there, the one who turned ordinary moments into adventures.”

“Tyler didn’t surround himself with good people,” Bucher told WKRC, but rather, “good people surrounded Tyler because he was so magnetic and brought out the best in people. He made people better. He was such a good soul. So it’s truly incomprehensible that anyone would do this.”

For her part, Mo added that Wilkin “is simply someone who is so open-hearted, open to love—not just for me, but for everyone.”

“Just waking up one day and not having it anymore—I can’t even describe the feeling,” she said.

He is survived by his parents, grandparents, older brother, twin sister, and other relatives, who held a service on July 23 at a funeral home in Hillsboro, Ohio.

In an obituary, the funeral home noted that “his adventurous spirit, generous heart, and cheerful disposition touched everyone who was lucky enough to know him. Always looking for the next adventure in life, Tyler moved to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January 2024.”

“He enjoyed life at the beach playing tennis, going on hikes, rock climbing, and doing activities to spend quality time with friends. However, no matter where life took him, he was never too far from home. He made frequent trips to be with his loved ones—whether his family or close friends who had become like family,” he emphasized.

---

This content was translated from Spanish to English using artificial intelligence and was reviewed by an editor before being published.