Alexa Ray Joel Threatened by Alleged Stalker; Dad Billy Joel Hires Bodyguard

Singer-songwriter can breathe a little easier now that a Minnesota woman has been arrested for allegedly stalking her over the Internet

Alexa Ray Joel, Billy Joel's 27-year-old daughter, has been on the receiving end of dozens of scary Facebook messages allegedly sent by a Minnesota woman who has threatened to rape and murder her, E! News has learned.

A source close to the Joel family tells us that the Piano Man and his ex-wife and Alexa's mom, Christie Brinkley, worked in tandem to ensure Alexa's safety with Billy hiring a bodyguard to watch over her.  He also contacted close pal Paul McCartney who recommended he enlist the services of a private Internet security firm.

Per The New York Post, which broke the story, 40-year-old Sheryl Finley is accused of stalking the "Notice Me" crooner after bombarding her with over 60 messages, including some alluding to "pedophilia, sadistic-sexual behavior, violent physical assaults and murder."

Finley, who reportedly spent several months in a mental institution in 2010, was arrested in January after being found naked in the frigid woods in Austin, Minn. 

According to the Austin Daily Herald, Finley conducted the alleged cyberstalking using a Facebook profile she created under the fake identity, "Rick Steenfield."

Not taking any chances, Papa Joel had the former Beatle's private eyes assist investigators in tracking the messages to Finley's login times at a local library and community college.

Finley has subsequently pleaded not guilty in Mower County Court to felony stalking for electronic messages sent by false impersonation and gross misdemeanor stalking for repeated messages. A pretrial hearing has been set for May 3. 

A rep for Billy Joel and Alexa has declined to comment on the matter.