“THE HOWLER IS BACK”: Tyler Wilkin’s Final Message Is Taking On A Chilling New Meaning Hours before he was found dead on a remote Puerto Rico beach, Tyler Wilkin warned friends that “The Howler is back.” Now, a final video recorded during his last camping trip is fueling fresh questions about who—or what—he was referring to before his death. Full story below👇
An Ohio man living in Puerto Rico was found shot execution-style while camping alone at a remote beach after sending unsettling final messages to friends about a mysterious man he referred to as “the howler.” Tyler Wilkin, 35, was discovered dead near the secluded Playa La Selva beach in northeastern Puerto Rico at around 6 a.m. on July 10 after a passerby found his body during a morning walk. According to authorities, Wilkin had suffered a single gunshot wound to the back of the head and is believed to have been shot at close range.
Wilkin had been dropped off at the isolated campsite by his girlfriend, Iva Mo, on July 8, intending to spend a few days camping alone. During his stay, he began messaging friends about a man he nicknamed “the howler,” who had allegedly been setting off fireworks near his campsite and making loud wolf-like howling noises. “The howler is back!” Wilkin wrote in one of his final messages. A few hours later, around 2 a.m., he sent what would become his last known text. “He said something like, ‘This guy is getting rowdy, LOL,’” Mo told WKRC. “And that was the last that we ever heard of him.”
When Wilkin failed to send his usual morning message, Mo immediately became concerned. “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. Just after 6 a.m., Wilkin’s body was found in nearby mangroves, roughly five minutes from his campsite. Investigators have not announced any arrests. Puerto Rico police later stated they have identified a person of interest in the case and that the FBI is providing technical support and collaboration, but authorities have not publicly named any individual or confirmed whether the mysterious figure Wilkin described in his messages is connected to the killing.
Mo believes her boyfriend may have been the victim of a robbery. “To have his entire future just taken away like that in just a split second for what?” she said. “Like over a wallet or over, I don’t know, for whatever reason, it’s just really hard to accept.” Frustrated by what they say has been limited progress in the early stages of the investigation, Wilkin’s loved ones launched a GoFundMe campaign to hire a private investigator. “We lost Tyler far too soon, and the grief left behind is impossible to put into words,” the fundraiser 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.” Organizer Lilly Wright added, “Tyler deserved a full life, and he deserves for every possible avenue to be explored.”
Originally from Wilmington, Ohio, Wilkin moved to Puerto Rico in January 2024, where family members said he embraced the island’s beaches and adventurous lifestyle. He was known as an outdoorsman who loved swimming, hiking, fishing, and camping. Friends described Playa La Selva as a remote but popular spot with designated campsites that families used regularly; Wilkin had camped there before and had always felt safe. On July 8 he was dropped off with his gear, including a pocketknife and a machete, so he could reserve the site ahead of a planned group weekend. He sent pictures and videos of his campsite and of catching and cooking fish during the first two days. The tone of his messages changed when he began referring to the man making howling noises and lighting what sounded like fireworks near his tent.
In his final known communications, the references to “the howler” grew more pointed. On the night of July 9 into the early hours of July 10, Wilkin told a friend the man had returned. Two hours later he sent the message that the person was “getting rowdy.” Those texts were the last anyone received from him. When the routine 6 a.m. message to Mo never arrived, she and a close friend, Charles Bucher, grew alarmed. Bucher went to the Luquillo police station after learning of a body found on the beach and was told that Wilkin had been shot to death.
The manner of the killing— a single close-range gunshot to the back of the head— has led authorities and family members to describe it as execution-style. Local police treated both the campsite and the shoreline as separate scenes. As of late July, no arrests had been announced. On July 30, Puerto Rico Police Superintendent Joseph González told the newspaper El Nuevo Día that investigators had identified a person of interest and that the FBI was assisting with technical support. No further details about that individual have been released.
Wilkin’s family and friends have continued to press for answers. The GoFundMe campaign was established to fund a private investigator capable of examining every possible lead. Relatives have also sought assistance through Ohio channels, including contact with state officials, in an effort to keep attention on the case. In his obituary, the family remembered Wilkin as someone who lived life with enthusiasm and was never afraid to embrace the unexpected. “He had a way of making life feel exciting and meaningful,” they wrote. “His laughter was contagious, his smile was genuine, and his happiness was something he shared freely with everyone around him.”
The investigation remains open. Puerto Rico authorities have not released a formal motive or named a suspect beyond the acknowledgment of a person of interest. The FBI’s involvement has been described as collaborative and technical. Friends and family continue to urge anyone with information about the events at Playa La Selva on the nights of July 8–10 to come forward. The gap between Wilkin’s final lighthearted text about a “rowdy” howler and the discovery of his body hours later continues to define the public understanding of the case. Until investigators provide additional verified details, the precise sequence of events after 2 a.m. on July 10 remains unknown.
Tyler Wilkin’s death has left his family and friends searching for the full truth behind a night that began with camping under the stars and ended with an execution-style shooting on a remote Puerto Rican beach. The messages about “the howler” stand as the last recorded words of a man who had chosen an adventurous life on the island and who, according to those closest to him, never returned home.
