(NewsNation) — Puerto Rico police say they have identified a person of interest in the execution-style killing of an Ohio man who was fatally shot during a solo camping trip earlier this month, after he had texted friends about a mysterious "howler" outside his tent in the nights before his death.

Tyler Wilkin, 35, of Wilmington, Ohio, was found shot once in the head in the mangroves near Playa La Selva in Luquillo on July 10.

His body was discovered by a beachgoer during a morning walk just after 6 a.m., some distance from the campsite where his tent and belongings remained set up.

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Police Superintendent Joseph González told the newspaper El Nuevo Día on Thursday that investigators have identified a person of interest but declined to release further details, saying he did not want to interfere with the investigation.

"What I can say is there is a person of interest," González said, adding that he has been in contact with the FBI for "technical support and collaboration."

González said witnesses in the area did not report hearing gunshots around the time of the shooting.

"We know there aren't many people in the area. It's a bit complicated in terms of investigative leads. We can say that there are some leads," he said.

González reiterated that no suspect has been named and that the individual is considered only a person of interest at this stage.

Wilkin had been camping at Playa La Selva, a remote but popular site in northeastern Puerto Rico with designated campsites where families regularly camp, for two days before his death.

Friends said he organized the group camping trip and had visited the area before, always feeling safe there.

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On the night before his death, Wilkin began messaging friends about a strange individual near his campsite who was setting off fireworks and howling like a wolf. The reports continued into the following night.

"The howler is back!" Wilkin texted a friend around midnight, according to his girlfriend, Iva Mo, who spoke to WKRC. About two hours later, he sent what would be his final message: "This guy is getting rowdy, LOL."

Mo, who had dropped Wilkin off at the campsite two days earlier, said he texted her every morning around 6 a.m. without fail. When his usual "Good morning, love" text didn't arrive, she began to fear something was wrong.

Wilkin's friends had been expected to pick him up from the campsite that Friday, hours after his body was found.

Wilkin moved to Puerto Rico in January 2024 and had embraced an outdoor lifestyle that included swimming, hiking, fishing and camping, according to friends, WXIX reported.

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Mo said she has struggled to understand a motive for the killing, questioning whether it stemmed from an attempted robbery or another dispute.

"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," she said.

Friends have set up a GoFundMe to raise money for a private investigator.

"Tyler deserved a full life, and he deserves for every possible avenue to be explored," organizer Lilly Wright wrote.

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