Father dies in motorcycle crash during memorial ride for late daughter

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU/Gray News) - The father of Cynthia Hoffman, the woman who was murdered by four teenagers in 2019 near Thunderbird Falls in Alaska, was killed Sunday after losing control of his motorcycle on the Parks Highway during a memorial ride honoring his late daughter.

Alaska State Troopers reported that 58-year-old Timothy Hoffman lost control of his motorcycle around mile 49 of the Parks Highway near South Rainbow Street in the Meadow Lakes area and rolled into the center median.

Timothy Hoffman was participating in an annual memorial ride for his late daughter when the incident happened, according to his brother Donald Hoffman Jr., who posted about the crash on his Facebook.

“He was happy, really, you know, ecstatic about riding,” Donald Hoffman said the day after his brother’s fatal accident. “He’s like that every year. He just wants to go and have a good time. Cynthia loved Harleys. He’s a Harley lover.”

Timothy Hoffman’s death came five years to the day of his daughter’s murder.

The ride started Sunday morning in Anchorage. Timothy Hoffman’s passenger that day was his wife, and Cynthia Hoffman’s mother, Jeannie.

“It was the first time his wife, this was the first time she ever rode on the bike with him on the memorial ride. He always drove by himself,” Donald Hoffman recalled.

Donald Hoffman said the first part of the ride was to the Victims for Justice Memorial, where Cynthia Hoffman’s name is etched in stone.

After that, it was off to Thunderbird Falls.

“That’s where he said a prayer, his No. 1 club member said a prayer in some words,” Donald Hoffman said. “And then we walked over across the bridge to the river and dropped roses because that’s her middle name, Cynthia Rose.”

The group made one more stop on their way to the closing party in Big Lake. It was after this stop, roughly two miles from the party, where the tragic accident happened.

“We switched places. I pulled to the front, he pulled right behind me,” Donald Hoffman described. “Got up past Metal Creek and that’s when the accident happened.”

Timothy Hoffman was piloting the motorcycle with his wife at the time of the crash. Troopers said he was not wearing a helmet at the time, while his wife was.

Both were found unresponsive after authorities were notified around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.

Troopers said Timothy Hoffman and his wife were both hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital. His wife remains in critical condition.

The crash closed down the Parks Highway for two-and-a-half hours, troopers said, with traffic being diverted to an adjacent frontage road.

The crash investigation remains ongoing.

Timothy Hoffman’s daughter was 19 years old when she was murdered in June 2019 by four teenagers who were accused of being “catfished” by another man to execute the killing for a large amount of money.

Two of the four convicted defendants, Darin Schilmiller and Denali Brehmer, have been sentenced to 99 years each. The other two, Caleb Leyland and Kayden McIntosh, are awaiting sentencing.

“He worked hard,” Donald Hoffman added. “He had a big family to take care of. He took care of foster children. Anybody that needed a place or some food or some money, he was there always.”

Donald Hoffman said he has established an account at Matanuska Valley Federal Credit Union to benefit his brother’s family. The account number is 191814, and donations will go directly to Timothy Hoffman’s family for help with medical and household bills.

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