The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says 16-year-old Lilyana Blanco allegedly used the FortifyFL app to submit multiple false threats, including one while deputies were inside her home investigating an earlier tip. Investigators traced several tips to devices at Blanco’s residence and say forensic analysis linked a phone to the submissions. The probe spans reports from Aug. 13 through Sept. 15, may date back to October 2025, and consumed over 300 investigative hours; Blanco was arrested Sept. 16 and handed to juvenile authorities.
Florida Teen Allegedly Sent Multiple FortifyFL Hoaxes — One While Deputies Were Inside Her Home
Photo Flagler County Sheriff's Office
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says 16-year-old Lilyana Blanco allegedly submitted multiple false threats through the FortifyFL school-safety app, including a hoax sent while deputies were inside her home investigating an earlier tip. Authorities say investigators traced numerous tips to devices at Blanco’s residence and that a forensic review connected one of her phones to the submissions.
Investigation and Timeline
According to the sheriff’s office, the Criminal Intelligence Unit began tracing tips submitted between Aug. 13 and Sept. 15 and ultimately took Blanco into custody on Sept. 16. Investigators say additional reports under review date back to October 2025. Sheriff Rick Staly said the inquiry has required more than 300 hours of investigative work.
On Aug. 13, FortifyFL received a tip claiming one of Blanco’s siblings had a firearm and had been 'instructed to shoot up the lunchroom' at Rymfire Elementary School. Detectives traced the tip to a device inside Blanco’s home, visited the residence, conducted interviews and seized a cellphone as evidence.
While deputies were interviewing Blanco’s mother, a second FortifyFL tip reported someone was headed to Flagler Palm Coast High School to 'shoot it up.' Officers responded to the high school, determined the threat was a hoax, and traced the submission back to Blanco’s residence — investigators say it was sent from a different device while deputies were still at the home.
The unit returned on Aug. 19 with a search warrant and seized multiple electronic devices. A forensic review of Blanco’s phone later confirmed it had been used to send FortifyFL tips, authorities said.
On Sept. 14, the app received a report claiming Blanco planned to kill her family and burn down the house that night and alleging she had earlier planned to kill someone at school that day but did not. Deputies returned to the residence to check on Blanco and investigate. She denied making the threats and claimed she had no access to electronics, but investigators again traced the submission to her.
Arrest and Charges
Detectives obtained an Order to Take Juvenile Into Custody on Sept. 16 charging Blanco with unlawful use of a two-way communication device and making a false report related to the alleged planting or use of a weapon. Authorities found Blanco in the Palm Coast Landings shopping-center parking lot and arrested her with assistance from the Fugitive Apprehension Unit. Deputies say she had acquired a new cellphone that her mother had purchased after the Aug. 19 search warrant.
Blanco was processed at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later transferred to the Volusia Family Resource Center before being turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. The Criminal Intelligence Unit is assisting other agencies with related swatting investigations and says additional charges could follow as probes continue.
'This is an extreme example of abusing a system that students, parents, and the community rely on to help keep our schools safe,' Sheriff Rick Staly said, adding that investigators have dedicated more than 300 hours to the case.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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