A close friend of Tyler Wilkin, the 35-year-old Ohio man found shot dead on a beach in Puerto Rico, has described the moment she learned he had been killed. Jules Santiago, who lives on the island and knew Wilkin for two years, said the news left her in complete shock. «When I found out, I went into complete shock. My thoughts were paralyzed. I asked the same question three times just to make sure it was Tyler,» she said.

Santiago said it was a call she never expected to receive. The atmosphere in the room changed as soon as the call came. «The whole room went cold, the energy turned dark, and I started crying,» she recalled. She described Wilkin as someone full of life and said she never imagined he could be murdered. «I could never have imagined he would be murdered, that something like that could happen to him. You usually hear about homicides tied to drugs, or people who weren't on the right path. Never someone full of life like Tyler,» she said.

Wilkin grew up in Ohio but moved to Puerto Rico in 2024. Investigators found him on Playa La Selva in Luquillo on July 10 with a single gunshot wound to the back of his head, a killing local reports described as «execution-style». He had been on a camping trip at the beach, according to those reports.

The FBI has confirmed it is assisting in the investigation. Puerto Rico police reportedly have a person of interest in the case, according to local reports. Additional details about the shooting have not been made public, and the mystery surrounding Wilkin's death has deepened as the investigation continues.

A fundraiser has been launched to support an investigation into Wilkin's death, and it has already generated tens of thousands of dollars as friends and family press for answers. The fundraiser, which continues to grow, was set up to help uncover the truth behind his killing. The growing sum reflects the community's determination to understand what happened to him.

Santiago, who lives in Puerto Rico, said the two had built a close friendship over the past two years. She said his death did not fit the pattern of the kind of homicides usually reported on the island. The news, she said, left her unable to process what she was hearing.

Those who knew Wilkin, from Ohio to Puerto Rico, are waiting for answers as the investigation continues.