Australian man used Facebook to 'lure teenager to her death'

An Australian teenager was lured to her death by a man she met on Facebook, the social networking site, who offered her a fake job protecting wildlife.

Nona Belomesoff, 18, was found dead in an isolated bushland area west of Sydney after going to meet a new friend.

Christopher Dannevig, 20, allegedly set up a fake identity and enticed Nona Belomesoff, 18, to a nature reserve in Sydney’s southwest on Wednesday. Her body was found on Friday.

Her brother Gary, 20, said she told the family she had been offered work with the New South Wales Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service.

“He said he could get her a job,” he said. “She loved animals and saw this as an opportunity to follow her dream.”

“She said she was going camping to look for injured animals. Nona said if she didn’t go she would lose her job and this job was her dream. So she just went and that was the last time we saw her.”

Detective Russell Oxford said Miss Belomesoff had been tricked.

“That was part of the story to encourage her to go out there,” he said. “It was a bogus ruse to get her out there.”

Police said the case was unusual but warned people using social networking sites to be wary.

“It’s an area where predators and perverts and other people just get onto. You just don’t know who you could be talking to,” Oxford said.