LEXINGTON, Neb — A friend of Sydney Loofe’s testified on Monday that she became an amateur sleuth in her efforts to find her missing friend, who disappeared in November of 2017 and was ultimately discovered murdered and dismembered.

Brooklyn McCrystal of Lincoln said she had learned that Loofe, 24, had not been answering texts or phone calls on Nov. 16, 2017, the day after she’d gone on a date with a girl she met on the dating app Tinder who identified herself as “Audrey” and who the app said lived 32 miles from Lincoln.

“I specifically made an account to match with her,” McCrystal said. “I wanted to match with her, so I could find Sydney, because I thought they had her.”

McCrystal’s efforts worked, as “Audrey” began communicating with McCrystal. The connection ultimately led investigators to identify “Audrey” as Bailey Boswell, who was then living in Wilber, Nebraska, about 32 miles from Lincoln. Boswell immediately became a person of interest in Loofe’s disappearance.

Boswell, now 26, is standing trial in Lexington in the slaying and dismemberment of Loofe, who disappeared after going on a date arranged via Tinder on the night of Nov. 15, 2017. Her body was found three weeks later, wrapped in black plastic bags and strewn along country roads about an hour’s drive west of Wilber.

Boswell’s boyfriend, Aubrey Trail, was convicted last year of first-degree murder in Loofe’s death. He is scheduled to find out in December whether he’ll be sentenced to life in prison or death.

Boswell is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and improper disposal of human remains. She faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted of the murder charge.

Prosecutors allege that the pair, who lived in a basement apartment in Wilber, used social media to lure young women into their lifestyle, which included drugs, group sex and selling — and stealing — antiques to finance trips to resorts and casinos.

Loofe’s mother, a co-worker and Lincoln police also testified on Monday.

McCrystal, who used to work with Loofe at a Menard’s store in north Lincoln, said that after she got a response from Audrey via Tinder on Nov. 17, she tried to find out more about her: where she worked, where she lived, whether she was a student.

Audrey, McCrystal said, indicated that she was at a casino right then, that she worked at a “financial institution,” and that she was originally from Missouri, but now living outside of Lincoln.

Eventually, McCrystal convinced Audrey to share her phone number with her, information that she forwarded to the police, which led them to identify Audrey as Bailey Boswell.