FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Authorities are looking for a woman who allegedly shot at and robbed a Coconino County man she met through Instagram last week.
The victim said the woman, identified as 22-year-old Lilly Beeler, came to a condominium he was renting on Dec. 3 in Munds Park after he came across Beeler's profile on the social media site.
According to the Coconino County Sheriff's Office, the victim was sleeping on the couch and was woken up by the sound of gunshots. He claimed Beeler shot at him twice with a pink and silver handgun.
CCSO said the victim was not injured and managed to hide upstairs until Beeler left.
Beeler allegedly proceeded to steal money, laptops, shoes and jewelry from the victim before scheduling a Lyft driver to pick her up from the residence.
The suspect, who may be from the Las Vegas area, had been dropped off near Woodlands Village Boulevard and I-40. Beeler was last seen wearing a black plaid shirt, blue jeans, red shoes, and carrying a black gym bag.
Authorities said Beeler is considered to be armed and dangerous.
"It’s easy to take advantage of somebody who is looking for that personal connection," former FBI agent Jim Egelston explained. "And that may be what happened in this case."
Egelston is also the current owner of Baseline Investigations. He cautions screening anyone you plan to meet online first by checking to see how long their profile’s been active, if they have other friends, or other kinds of social media accounts.
And try a video call first to see if they match their profile or if they show off any weird behavior.
"If they don’t want to meet on video, that’s definitely a red flag," he said.
And if you do take the step to meet in person, don’t give out your address or personal information. Egelston suggests going to a public spot and letting a friend or family member know where you’re going and who you think you’re meeting.
Anyone who has any information about the location of Lilly Beeler is asked to call Silent Witness at 928-774-6111 or call the Sheriff’s Office at 928-774-4523.
12 News reached out to Lyft and Instagram for this story but did not hear back.
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Silent Witness:
Arizona's Silent Witness program allows people to send in tips and share information about crimes happening within their local communities.
The program shares unsolved felony case information in multiple ways, including TV, radio and social media.
Anyone who has information on a crime or recognizes a suspect described by the program is asked to call 480-948-6377, go to the program's website online or download the Silent Witness app to provide a tip. The identity of anyone who submits a tip is kept anonymous.
Calls to Silent Witness are answered 24/7 by a live person and submitted tips are accepted at all times. Submitted tips are then sent to the detective(s) in charge of the specific case.
Individuals who submit tips that lead to an arrest or indictment in the case can get a reward of up to $1,000.