In two eerily similar attacks within months of each other, young U.S. fathers were drawn into ambushes by way of online sites—both expecting to be going on a date. What they didn’t know was that there were individuals with dangerous aims hiding behind the screen. The two tragedies have not only torn two families apart but have again sparked debate about the unseen risks of online dating.
Adam Hilarie, aged 27, resided in the peaceful town of Auburndale, Florida. A committed father who lived for his 5-year-old child, he was seen by people who knew him as soft-spoken, kind, and attempting to rebuild himself after setbacks. Having found himself on the Plenty of Fish internet site—not because he was after some excitement, but because he was hoping to make some connections—
That is where he met 18-year-old Hailey Bustos.
Their initial meeting was innocent. They sat out the evening with one another, but then left each other’s company. However, unbeknownst to Adam, Bustos had an ulterior motive. Within 24 hours, she was back at his apartment, but this time with three of her cohorts: Andre Warner, Gary Gray, and Joshua Ellington.
The gang had intended to steal from Adam. But the initial intention to steal turned into murder. A gun was discharged at the confrontation. The victim, Adam, was fatally shot at home.
The police soon apprehended the suspects. The four suspects were subsequently charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery, and conspiracy. The case rocked the community—and the nation.
Adam’s young daughter, who was only a kindergartener, was left without a father. The hurt to his family is still fresh.
“He was doing the best for her,”
said one of his family friends.
“She was his world.”
Less than months following the murder of Adam, tragedy struck again—this one occurring in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Jarrell Lamont Pryor, 26, was a single father taking care of an affectionate three-year-old girl named Honey. He dreamed, he aspired, and he bore the familiar pressure of managing work while fatherhood. But like so many today who lead virtual lives, he found solace in companionship on the internet.
He came across 19-year-old Alexis Hawkins on Instagram. She seemed single, approachable, and interested. They talked, made arrangements to go out on a date, and met up late on the evening of January 25, 2025.
Security video captures the two of them huddled in Pryor’s vehicle outside a liquor store, talking as though nothing was amiss. But Jarrell didn’t know that secretly, Alexis was involved with 18-year-old Brian Winston Jr.—and the two of them had hatched a plan to steal from him.
Winston came at approximately 1 a.m. At some point, he opened fire, firing at Jarrell several times.
Winston was arrested weeks afterward. Investigators uncovered that Hawkins had been texting Winston throughout the night. Hawkins searched for local media on shootings on the internet as well as texted friends who lived near the crime site—digital evidence that created an incriminating record. Hawkins denied participation in the shooting but confirmed that she was present in the car. She too is charged with murder, robbery, as well as conspiracy, along with Winston.
The devastation that is left is unimaginable.
“He was everything to Honey,”
declared Pryor’s mother.
“He didn’t deserve this. No one does. And nothing can repair the gap left by this in our hearts.”
A GoFundMe page was established to provide support for Honey’s future—a child who is now growing up fatherless.
Adam Hilarie and Jarrell Pryor both were young, optimistic, and fighting to support children. Both of them were betrayed by individuals they believed they could trust. And both of them were killed in plots that began with an innocent message on the internet.
While online dating has become a norm for many, these cases expose a darker side—where dating apps and platforms become hunting grounds for criminals preying on trust.
Police officials recommend vigilance.
“Always meet somewhere public, give someone an idea of where you’re going, and don’t be so quick to let your guard down,”
one said. But for the Hilaries and the Pryors, it’s advice that comes too late.
The repercussions of these murders have brought about public grief, outrage, and reflection—particularly online. A post on Facebook portrayed Pryor’s case as a “tragic crime of betrayal,” to which thousands of people agreed. Some replies, filled with snake emojis and cautions to be careful, capture an overriding mood: trust is getting weaker with the virtual world.
Within certain communities, the tragedy has prompted discussions about dating culture, responsibility, and protection—occasionally crossing into hot-button subject matter. But under the analysis is actual sorrow over two young lives lost, and two daughters who won’t have to grow up with dads.
