Tyler Wilkin was camping alone on a remote beach in Puerto Rico when he began sending messages about a man he called 'the howler' - and was later found dead18:37, 30 Jul 2026An American man was shot dead execution-style on a remote Puerto Rico beach after sending messages about a mysterious man known as "the howler".‌Tyler Wilkin, 35, was found with a single gunshot wound to the back of the head near the forest-isolated Playa la Selva in the Caribbean island's northeast.‌His body was discovered shortly after 6am on July 10, according to local reports.‌Police believe he was shot at close range in what investigators suspect was an execution-style killing.Wilkin, originally from Ohio, had been living in Puerto Rico since January 2024.His girlfriend dropped him off at the remote beach on July 8 and he planned to camp there for two days.‌During his stay, he sent increasingly unsettling messages about a man he had nicknamed "the howler," who had allegedly been setting off fireworks near his campsite and "howling like a wolf.""The howler is back!" he wrote to a friend on the night he was killed.‌His girlfriend, Iva Mo, said his final message arrived at around 2am."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," she told WKRC.She became alarmed when Wilkin failed to send his usual early-morning message.‌"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.His body was discovered in the mangroves shortly after 6am by a beachgoer taking a morning walk, local outlet Tele 11 reported.‌Police are yet to make any arrests over the killing.Mo believes he may have been murdered during an attempted robbery, while friends and relatives have criticised Puerto Rico police over the lack of progress in 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.‌Loved-ones have launched a GoFundMe page to raise funds for a private investigator to "uncover answers and ensure that every possible avenue is explored."The fundraiser reads: "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."Tyler deserved a full life, and he deserves for every possible avenue to be explored," Lilly Wright, the GoFundMe organiser, said.Wilkin is survived by his parents, older brother, twin sister and younger sisters, according to his obituary.Article continues below"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 family said."His laughter was contagious, his smile was genuine, and his happiness was something he shared freely with everyone around him."