CINCINNATI — Weeks after Tyler Wilkin was murdered on a Puerto Rican beach, his family and friends say they're still searching for something they didn't find at his funeral: answers.
Wilkin, a 35-year-old Wilmington native who had built a new life in Puerto Rico, was found shot to death July 10 near his campsite at Playa La Selva in Luquillo, which lies in the northern part of the Caribbean island. Authorities have released few details about the investigation, and no arrests have been announced, Wilkin's friends tell WCPO.
We have reached out to Puerto Rican police, but have not heard back.
Now, those who knew Wilkin best are turning to the public for help.
A GoFundMe launched by Wilkin's loved ones aims to raise money to hire a private investigator, saying the family hopes an independent investigation can help uncover what happened and identify whoever is responsible.
WATCH: Friends seek out private investigator after Cincinnati-area man killed in Puerto Rico
For Trey Reinhart, one of Wilkin's closest friends, the fundraiser represents more than financial support. It's about making sure Wilkin's death doesn't become another unsolved case.
"In any murder, if you don't find out some stuff soon, there's a good chance it'll never get solved," Reinhart said. "We just want to figure something out for him."
Reinhart said he met Wilkin about a decade ago in Lexington, Kentucky. While the two became close friends over the past four years, distance never changed their relationship. They visited each other regularly after Wilkin moved to Puerto Rico in 2024.
"He's the kind of dude that you could call no matter how long it'd been since you'd talked," Reinhart said. "You'd just pick right back up."
He described Wilkin as "kind, incredibly intelligent, thoughtful" and someone who always looked for ways to help others.
"He would help people, especially those who would help themselves," Reinhart said. "He was a really funny guy, too."
Wilkin had gone camping by himself ahead of meeting friends a few days later, Reinhart said. Before his death, Reinhart said Wilkin had messaged a friend about another man at the campground who appeared to be acting aggressively and lingering around the campsite.
When Wilkin's friends arrived to meet him hours later, Reinhart said police instead informed them that he had been found dead.
Reinhart said his friend had been shot in the back of the head.
The lack of information since then has left friends struggling with uncertainty. Reinhart said Wilkin's family and closest friends haven't received information from investigators about possible suspects or leads.
"If they haven't said anything to me, I can't say that there has been anything solved to this point," he said.
Wilkin's funeral was held July 23. Reinhart flew in from Arizona to attend.
"It didn't seem very real until I actually had gotten in the car," he said. "Even on the plane ... it doesn't feel real until you show up there."
Days later, Reinhart shared his grief publicly on social media, calling Wilkin "an awesome guy and a great friend" with "more opportunities ahead of him than most folks I've ever met."
He's urging people to donate to or share the fundraiser, saying he believes hiring a private investigator offers the best chance of finding the person responsible.
"Anybody getting anybody off the street — or in this case, the beach — that's a bad person," he said. "Anything you can do, share the GoFundMe ... just make awareness of it and see if we can get any leads from that."
For now, that's all Wilkin's friends say they can do.
