The Twisted Tale of Denali Brehmer and the Catfishing Killer

How Cynthia Hoffman was brutally killed

By Rare StoriesPublished 11 months ago • 3 min read

An 18-year-old woman, Denali Brehmer from Alaska was deceived by a man she met online, who lived almost 4,000 miles away. As a result, she convinced her best friend to accompany her to a well-known trailhead and carried out a plan to commit murder in exchange for a promise of millions.

Brehmer documented the homicide by taking photos and videos as proof to give to the man.

Background

Catfishing is the act of using a fake identity on the internet to deceive someone into forming a relationship.

In the case of Ms. Brehmer, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, she entered into an online relationship with someone who identified himself as Tyler, claiming to be from Kansas. This person promised to pay Ms. Brehmer a sum of at least $9 million to carry out a murder and document the act through photos and videos.

Darin Schilmiller, a 21-year-old man from New Salisbury, Indiana, has been identified as the alleged mastermind behind the twisted crime.

In addition to orchestrating the cross-country plot, Mr. Schilmiller instructed Ms. Brehmer to sexually assault two minors and record videos of the acts to send to him. The detectives obtained the footage by compelling Verizon to provide Schilmiller's cellphone account records through a legal order.

In exchange for monetary compensation, Ms. Brehmer enlisted Kayden McIntosh, who was 16 years old at the time, Caleb Leyland, who was 19, and two other individuals whose identities were not disclosed due to their status as minors, to assist in the planning and carrying out of the murder.

The group chose Cynthia Hoffman, who was purportedly Ms. Brehmer's "best friend," to be the victim of the planned murder.

The Crime- Killing Cynthia

Brehmer supposedly selected Hoffman as the victim because she was her closest friend. Brehmer believed that it would be easier to deceive and lure Hoffman into the woods based on their existing level of trust, as opposed to attempting to do so with a stranger.

On June 2, Brehmer and McIntosh transported Hoffman to the Thunderbird Falls trail located along the Eklutna River, using Leyland's vehicle. Once there, they bound Hoffman's hands and feet with duct tape and covered her mouth with the same material.

According to reports, McIntosh took a 9mm pistol and shot Hoffman in the head. Brehmer remembered that Hoffman was still moving when McIntosh threw her into the creek.

While carrying out this horrifying act, Brehmer sent videos and photos to Schilmiller, demonstrating a disturbing lack of empathy.

Kayden McIntosh, who was 16 years old at the time

After fatally shooting the 19-year-old, Brehmer nonchalantly sent a text message to Hoffman's family, falsely asserting that she had dropped her off at Polar Bear Park in Anchorage. She then proceeded to erase all of her text messages with "Tyler," apparently under the mistaken belief that deleting them would eliminate the digital evidence trail. They also burned Hoffman's purse, clothing, and identification documents to erase evidence.

After Hoffman was reported missing on the following day, her body was discovered on June 4, prompting authorities to launch a thorough investigation.

Caleb Leyland, who was 19 pulled the trigger

The discovery of explicit photos of minors on Brehmer's phone during the execution of a search warrant, which had also been sent to a person named "Babe," provided a significant breakthrough in the case. During a police interrogation on June 7, Brehmer confessed that "Babe" was actually a man named "Tyler" whom she believed to be living in Kansas. At that point, Brehmer was not yet aware that she had been deceived.

All six individuals involved in the crime, including Denali Brehmer, Kayden McIntosh, Caleb Leyland, and the unnamed minors, were charged with first-degree murder, as well as other charges.

In a recent development in February 2023, Brehmer pleaded guilty to first degree murder.