THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026, 2:45 P.M.
MARINETTE, Wis. (WFRV) – A 21-year-old Marinette man charged in the drowning death of a 13-year-old boy has been ruled competent to stand trial.
Court records show Tylor Birch appeared in court Thursday, where a judge found him competent following a psychiatric evaluation.
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Birch’s case will now move forward to a preliminary hearing. An arraignment is scheduled for April 30, 2026.
The charges stem from an Aug. 20, 2025 incident at the Menekaunee Harbor Boat Launch. According to the Marinette Police Department, officers were dispatched shortly after 1:30 p.m. for a report of a person in distress in the water.
When officers arrived, Birch and a 16-year-old were on the pier and told police someone was in the water but they did not know the exact location.
A short time later, officers located Jakob Bowerman unresponsive. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
Investigators said the 16-year-old initially told officers the group had jumped into the water together. He later admitted that he and Birch grabbed Bowerman by his hands and feet and threw him into the water before jumping in after him. Birch reportedly told police they had been “horsing around,” but claimed the 16-year-old “took it a little too far” by pushing Bowerman into the water.
The 16-year-old placed blame on Birch, stating Birch pushed Bowerman into the water.
Bowerman’s mother told investigators her son was not a strong swimmer and would not have entered the water voluntarily. She also alleged that Birch and the 16-year-old had bullied her son.
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An autopsy confirmed Bowerman died from drowning.
Birch was arrested on Aug. 21, 2025, and charged with second-degree reckless homicide. The 16-year-old was also taken into custody.
UPDATE: Marinette man ruled not competent to stand trial in drowning case
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025, 12:15 P.M.
MARINETTE, Wis. (WFRV) — A 21-year-old Marinette man charged with reckless homicide in the drowning death of a 13-year-old boy has been ruled not competent to stand trial, though a judge determined he could regain competency in the future.
Court records show Tylor Birch appeared in court Thursday, where a judge found him not competent following a psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation concluded Birch could potentially regain competency with treatment.
The court ordered Birch to receive treatment while housed in the Marinette County Jail rather than at an inpatient facility.
Birch remains bound over for trial, and his competency status will be reviewed when he returns to court on March 20, 2026.
Local 5 News will continue to follow the case as it moves through the court system.
UPDATE: Competency hearing set for Marinette man charged in boy’s drowning death
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2025, 8:45 P.M.
MARINETTE, Wis. (WFRV) — A 21-year-old Marinette man charged with reckless homicide in the drowning death of a 13-year-old boy will have a competency hearing.
Court records show that Tylor Birch appeared in court Monday, where a judge scheduled the hearing for Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.
Local 5 News will continue to follow this case as it moves through the court system.
Marinette man charged with homicide in drowning death of 13-year-old boy
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025, 1:18 P.M.
MARINETTE, Wis. (WFRV) – A 21-year-old Marinette man has been charged with reckless homicide in connection with the drowning death of a 13-year-old boy last week.
Court records show Tylor R. Birch is formally charged with second-degree reckless homicide in the death of Jakob Bowerman, who drowned after allegedly being pushed into the water in Marinette.
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According to a criminal complaint, Marinette police were called to the Menekaunee Harbor Boat Launch shortly after 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 20 for a report of a person in distress. Officers found Birch and a 16-year-old on the pier, who told police someone was in the water, but they did not know where.
A short time later, officers found Bowerman unresponsive. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
The 16-year-old initially told officers the group had jumped in the water together, but later admitted that he and Birch grabbed Bowerman by his hands and feet and threw him into the water before jumping in after him. Birch also told police they had been “horsing around,” but the 16-year-old “took it a little too far” by pushing Bowerman into the water.
The 16-year-old placed the blame on Birch, stating that he had pushed Bowerman into the water.
Bowerman’s mother told investigators her son was not a strong swimmer and would not have jumped into the water voluntarily. She also alleged that Birch and the 16-year-old had bullied her son.
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An autopsy confirmed that Bowerman’s cause of death was drowning.
Birch was arrested on Aug. 21 and charged with second-degree reckless homicide. The 16-year-old was also taken into custody. Birch’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Thursday at 1:30 p.m. at the Marinette County Courthouse.
