When 19-year-old Cynthia Hoffman received a phone call from her best friend asking if she wanted to go for a hike, she jumped at the opportunity. The plan was to spend the day at Thunderbird Falls, a scenic hiking trail with a beautiful waterfall view. But Cynthia, who was developmentally delayed, had no idea of the secret sinister intention behind this trip. Her so-called best friend, 18-year-old Denali Brehmer had other plans for her. 

Denali lured Cynthia to a remote location where they tied her up before shooting her in the back of the head and dumping her body in the river. The reason? Denali had been chatting online with a young millionaire from Kansas named Tyler, who promised her $9 million if she would send him photos and videos of her sexually assaulting and killing someone. Denali jumped at the idea, offering up Cynthia to her online boyfriend. 

So who was Tyler from Kansas really and what else did Denali promise him? As it would turn out, Tyler was a catfish and this heinous murder-for-hire plot was just the tip of the iceberg.

Sources:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13090035/Alaska-Denali-Brehmer-murder-catfish-sentenced-99-years.html

https://www.weremember.com/cynthia-hoffman/4a1z/memories

https://nypost.com/2024/02/15/us-news/woman-who-killed-best-friend-after-9m-catfish-offer-sentenced-to-99-years/

https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/01/10/sentencing-hearing-2019-thunderbird-falls-murder-case-underway/

https://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=802fdb4c-d573-4c84-bafd-f31b6fb923af

https://mustreadalaska.com/who-is-darin-schilmiller-murder-investigation/

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