In the quiet of a Payson Canyon campground, a heated argument pierced the midnight air on July 6, 2019, culminating in a tragic and unforeseen end for 24-year-old Nakylee Hope Marvin, a White/Caucasian female from Springville, Utah. She had been camping with her ex-boyfriend, 27-year-old Ethan Larry Bertrum Timoko of Orem, their young daughter, and another man at the Maple Bench Campground.
The couple had been embroiled in a volatile dispute for several hours, a conflict that would ultimately seal their fates.
The argument reached its fatal climax as Timoko sat inside a vehicle while Nakylee stood at the window, continuing the conversation. In a sudden and devastating act, Timoko used a handgun to shoot himself in the head. Investigators from the Utah County Sheriff's Office believe that the single bullet exited the vehicle and struck Nakylee in the neck. The gunshot was instantly fatal for Timoko, while Nakylee was left critically injured. The other man present at the campsite heard the shot and immediately called for help.
Emergency responders, including Payson Fire & Rescue and an AirMed helicopter, rushed to the scene but were unable to save Nakylee's life. Her death was deemed accidental by the authorities, a catastrophic consequence of the initial gunshot. Both bodies were subsequently taken to the Medical Examiner's Office in Taylorsville for further investigation.
In the aftermath of the harrowing incident, there were no arrests to be made, as the individual responsible for the gunshot, Ethan Timoko, was also deceased. The case was classified by law enforcement as a suicide and an accidental shooting. Nakylee's family was left to mourn the loss of a woman they described as a fun, smart, and independent mother who was fiercely devoted to her five-year-old daughter, Aveah. Her death, a tragic accident born from a moment of desperation, left a family shattered and a young girl without her parents.
