Australian Teen Nona Belomesoff Killed in Facebook Murder

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Australian authorities are warning youths to beware of Internet strangers after police say a teenage animal lover was lured to her death by a man she met on Facebook.

Christopher James Dannevig, 20, allegedly set up a fake identity on the social networking site and enticed 18-year-old Nona Belomesoff to a nature reserve outside Sydney. Police found Belomesoff's body in a creek bed a couple of days later.

The New South Wales Premier, Kristina Keneally, has called the murder a tragic reminder that people do not always represent themselves truthfully online, reported The Australian Broadcasting Corporation .

"People may not be who they purport to be on social networking sites and that can be the case," she said. "It is a reminder to us all no matter what our age that we should be careful of the people that we meet online."

Australian police have warned teenagers to remove their profile pictures from Facebook, including other details like names of schools and home addresses.

"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," said homicide squad Detective Russell Oxford, reorted AFP .

Belomesoff left her home on Wednesday morning believing she was going to meet two men she had met on Facebook.

Australian police say Belomesoff thought an overnight camping trip to search for wounded animals could lead to a potential job with the animal welfare group.

"She told her family and they thought it was a genuine training area she was going to,” he told Australia’s Daily Telegraph "She was obviously excited to perhaps start work in an area with animals, which she loved.”

Her brother Gary, 20, said his sister had been delighted when Dannevig offered her work experience at an animal rescue organization.

“ She loved animals and saw this as an opportunity to follow her dream,” Gary told The Sunday Times . “She said she was going camping to look for injured animals.”

Dannevig has been refused bail and is scheduled to appear in court next week.

Police allege that the second man Belomesoff believed she was meeting did not exist.