The key facts
- The girl disappeared on May 29, 2025, and was found on November 1, 2026 — 521 days later
- Her whereabouts became known through a friendship in the game Among Us and messaging on a social network
- Harmel has been charged with a federal offense of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of sexual exploitation
How an in-game message led to a rescue
In the United States, 17-year-old Kylie Arellano, who went missing in the state of Utah, has been found — as reported by the Associated Press citing case materials. A friendship formed in the online game Among Us became her only channel of contact with the outside world: according to investigators, the girl had a phone with no mobile service but with Wi-Fi internet access. In October, she met another teenager in the game, and their communication continued on a social network, where Arellano said she was being held against her will in a house in Oregon. The other teen's mother passed this information to the FBI.
What is known about the disappearance and the arrest
The girl disappeared on May 29, 2025, when she was 15 years old. According to investigators, 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel met her on social media, came to pick her up in Utah, and took her to his home in Oregon. As Arellano herself recounted, he took away her phone, forbade her from leaving the house, and subjected her to abuse. On November 1, 521 days after her disappearance, police found her in a house in Huntington. That same day, Harmel was detained during a traffic stop. He was charged with a federal offense of transporting a minor across state lines for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Context
The Life.ru article also mentions a separate case: in September, an 11-year-old girl was found in Vologda Oblast, who had gone missing together with her parents. According to the regional branch of the Federal Bailiff Service, her mother brought her to the region herself on September 27, after which the child was handed over to guardianship authorities; the circumstances of her disappearance and return were being investigated. The outlet publishes more incident coverage in the relevant section.
