A 17-year-old girl who had been missing for more than 500 days was rescued from an Oregon home after secretly contacting another teenager through the popular online game Among Us, bringing an end to nearly 18 months of alleged captivity and abuse.

The teenager, identified as Kylie Arellano, disappeared from Garden City, Utah, in May 2025 when she was just 15 years old. Authorities found her on November 1, 2026, at the home of 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel in Huntington, Oregon.

According to the Associated Press, Harmel allegedly held the teenager against her will, repeatedly beat and sexually assaulted her, and forced her to remove her braces with pliers to make her harder to identify.

How the teenager disappeared

According to federal court documents detailed by KOIN 6, Arellano met Harmel through social media in May 2025. He allegedly claimed to have a disability involving his hips and offered her money to travel to Oregon. Federal prosecutors said the case fits a broader pattern, warning that predators groom victims on gaming platforms and social media.

Harmel subsequently drove from Oregon to Perry, Utah, where he picked up the teenager.

Once she entered his vehicle, Harmel allegedly threw her phone into a river in Logan Canyon, cutting off her ability to contact her family.

He then drove her across state lines to his home in Huntington, Oregon, where he allegedly told her she was not allowed to leave.

Kylie’s mother, Stephanie Coleman, reported her missing after her disappearance, launching a search that would continue for more than 500 days.

Alleged abuse during captivity

Federal investigators say Arellano was confined to the basement of Harmel’s home, where he forced her to share a bed with him.

According to the FBI, Harmel allegedly kept a knife beneath his pillow and made the teenager sleep against the wall, positioning himself between her and a possible escape.

Arellano told investigators that Harmel frequently became aggressive and violent, repeatedly striking her during her captivity.

She also alleged that he sexually assaulted her throughout 2025 and 2026.

In another disturbing allegation, Harmel forced her to remove her own braces using pliers so that she would be more difficult to recognize.

Court documents also allege that Harmel expressed a desire to start a family with the teenager and told her he was attracted to her because she was underage.

Another person living in the home reportedly told investigators that Harmel had returned from Utah with someone he described as a new girlfriend. The housemate said they did not encounter the teenager until approximately two months after her arrival, when she hurried back into the basement.

How “Among Us” helped save her

Despite allegedly restricting her freedom, Harmel eventually gave Arellano a phone that lacked cellular data but could connect to Wi-Fi.

In mid-October 2026, on or about October 15 according to court documents, the teenager connected with another minor while playing Among Us, the multiplayer game made by Innersloth.

The two exchanged contact information and continued communicating through a separate social media platform.

During their conversations, Arellano revealed her identity and explained that she was being held against her will at a man’s home in Oregon.

She also reportedly believed that police had stopped searching for her.

The other teenager’s mother contacted the FBI, helping bring the information to investigators.

On November 1, investigators monitored a video call with Arellano, during which she described the circumstances of her disappearance and the abuse she had allegedly suffered.

She also showed investigators a knife that Harmel reportedly kept near his bed, providing additional evidence to support her account.

Retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told KUTV that the other teenager’s involvement in the rescue was extremely unusual.

“The fact that this minor was able to get this critical information from the other minor, from the victim in this case, it was really exceptional,” Coffindaffer said.

She also praised the teenager’s decision to involve authorities, saying, “To make the decision and to have the courage to go to the Bureau is actually pretty rare, I would say, because a minor was involved.”

“Without that minor, who knows what else would’ve happened to her.”

FBI rescues teenager after nearly 18 months

Following the video call, federal investigators and Oregon State Police located Arellano at Harmel’s home in Huntington on November 1.

Authorities rescued the teenager and arranged medical treatment.

During a search of the residence, investigators reportedly discovered knives, BB guns, women’s clothing and sexual lubricant, among other items they said corroborated portions of her account.

Harmel was arrested during a traffic stop in Ontario, Oregon, approximately 30 miles from the home.

Federal prosecutors charged him with transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

The case remains subject to criminal proceedings, and the allegations against Harmel have not been proven in court.