Tylor Birch appears in court via video conference from the Marinette County Jail Aug. 28, 2025 in connection with the drowning death of Jakob Bowerman. (Courtesy Marinette County courts/Zoom)
MARINETTE (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Marinette County District Attorney’s Office has filed a charge against 21-year-old Tylor Robert Birch in connection with the drowning death of Jakob Bowerman.
Birch is charged with second-degree reckless homicide.
He appeared in court Thursday, where a $500,000 cash bond was set.
According to the criminal complaint, Birch and the 16-year-old, who police say they also took into custody following Bowerman’s death, initially told police all three males jumped into the water from the Marinette pier on Aug. 20. Birch and the 16-year-old told police Bowerman was struggling to swim and they tried to help him get out of the water, but couldn’t, so they called 911.
It wasn’t until the following day, when investigators interviewed both males again that they admitted to throwing Bowerman in the water. The 16-year-old told police he grabbed Bowerman’s hands while Birch grabbed his feet and the two swung the 13-year-old, throwing him into the water.
Birch, however told investigators a different story. He said the three were horsing around on the pier, and the 16-year-old and Bowerman had been pushing each other. Birch said he turned away and heard a splash, running back towards the teens and jumping in the water after them.
According to Birch, they tried to help Bowerman but he was pulling them under the water so he and the 16-year-old got out to help.
A witness, who was fishing off a different pier, called 911 after hearing the males yelling for help. The witness telling investigators he could hear the three being loud but didn’t see them go into the water. When he called 911, he said two people were on the pier and one was in the water. He never saw anyone go into the water until first responders arrived.
The criminal complaint says Birch was taken into custody on Aug. 21, a day after the incident.
Bowerman, who was taken to the hospital after being pulled from the water, died on Aug. 23. An autopsy listed his cause of death as drowning.
Birch is due back in court Sept. 22.
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