A Utah teenager who was allegedly abducted at 15 helped bring about her own rescue after more than 500 days in captivity by confiding in another child through the video game Among Us.
Kylie Arellano, now 17, disappeared from her home in Garden City, Utah, on May 29, 2025. Her disappearance triggered a sweeping multi-agency investigation that extended across the United States and into other countries.
The crucial breakthrough came last month when Arellano connected with another player on the popular online game and disclosed who she was.
According to federal court documents, she told the child that she was being held at a man’s home in Oregon and believed authorities had stopped searching for her.
She also sent her online contact news reports about her disappearance.
The child’s mother then alerted the FBI, federal authorities said. Investigators arranged to monitor a video call between the two on November 1.
During the call, Arellano described meeting 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel, who allegedly took her to his home in Huntington, Oregon.
She showed investigators a knife that she said Harmel kept beside his bed, along with other evidence supporting her account. Oregon State Police and federal agents later rescued her from the property that day and took her for medical care.
Kylie Arellano, 17, helped bring about her rescue after more than 500 days in captivity. Source: Rich County Sheriff’s Office
Court documents say she revealed her identity after contacting another child through the game Among Us
Federal investigators now allege that Arellano was groomed through online gaming platforms before her conversations shifted to other social media apps.
On those platforms, Arellano’s parent told authorities, the teenager sent sexually explicit images and videos to people online in exchange for money.
According to a federal complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of Utah, Harmel contacted Arellano in May 2025. He allegedly told her he was disabled, that his hips were “messed up” and offered her money to travel to Oregon.
Harmel allegedly drove to Utah to collect Arellano, took her to his Oregon home, threw her cellphone into a river and forced her to remain inside.
The complaint says the pair slept in the same basement bed, with Arellano positioned next to a wall.
Investigators say Harmel’s behavior became increasingly violent during the nearly year-and-a-half she was held, with frequent assaults and repeated efforts to stop her from leaving.
He allegedly kept a knife beneath his pillow at night and forced Arellano to remove her braces with pliers so she would be harder to identify.
Arellano told investigators that Harmel said he wanted to start a family with her and indicated that he was sexually attracted to minors, according to the criminal complaint.
Eventually, Harmel gave her a cellphone without mobile data, allowing her to connect to the internet only through Wi-Fi. That limited access was enough for her to play Among Us.
Arellano’s parent told authorities that the teenager had sent sexually explicit images and videos to people online in exchange for money. She is pictured with her mother. Source: Stephanie Kaye/Facebook
After Arellano was rescued, investigators interviewed Harmel’s housemate, who said Harmel had introduced her as his new girlfriend.
The housemate said Harmel told him he was traveling to Utah to pick up his girlfriend, but he did not see Arellano until roughly two months after she arrived.
A search of the home uncovered items investigators said were consistent with parts of Arellano’s account, including sexual lubricant.
Harmel was arrested during a traffic stop in Ontario, Oregon, and booked into the Malheur County Jail, according to KGW.
He faces a charge of traveling across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. A conviction could carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.
Harmel did not enter a plea during a November 4 court appearance in Boise, Idaho. He is scheduled to return to court Tuesday for a detention hearing.
It remains unclear when Harmel will be extradited to Utah. The Daily Mail contacted the local sheriff’s department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI seeking additional information.
Investigators say Harmel contacted Arellano in May 2025, claiming he was disabled, that his hips were “messed up” and offering her money to come to Oregon. Source: stefery84/Instagram
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Harmel had also been accused of sexually assaulting a six-year-old girl just months before he allegedly took Arellano.
Eric Solari told NBC News that his young daughter went to Harmel’s neighboring home for a sleepover in 2024. Afterward, the girl returned home and said “something wasn’t right.”
“She didn’t tell us what was wrong,” Solari said. “There was a secret, but she couldn’t remember what it was.”
Several months later, in late October or early November 2024, Solari said his daughter told her parents that she had been sexually abused during the sleepover.
Solari said he and his wife immediately contacted the Baker County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon after learning of the allegation. Investigators interviewed their daughter.
The matter was presented to a grand jury, which declined to indict Harmel but left the case open in case additional evidence emerged, Baker County District Attorney Greg Baxter said.
Solari said Harmel became hostile after the family reported the allegation.
“He started getting really nasty and he would cuss at neighbors, flip off neighbors, be vocal to us,” Solari said.
Arellano was found at a Huntington, Oregon, home where she allegedly shared a basement bed with Harmel
The family eventually obtained protective orders against Harmel and his then-wife. A judge granted both orders in March 2025, and they remain in effect until Solari’s daughter turns 18.
Two months after the protective order was issued, however, Solari said Harmel moved into a relative’s home across the street from his daughter’s school.
Court records obtained by NBC News show that Harmel’s wife filed for divorce in Idaho in May 2025. The divorce was finalized in January.
When the school year resumed in August, Solari said Harmel violated the protection order.
“Our daughter would be at school. We knew Adam was passing by the school while she was there, which violated the protection order,” Solari alleged. “The school was calling, we were calling and nothing was being done.”
The father said he now believes Arellano might have been found sooner if law enforcement had followed up at Harmel’s home.
“If they would have gone and followed through on these calls, she would have been found,” he said. “Or if they would have followed through on my daughter’s case, she never would have been abducted.”
Solari and his family eventually moved away, a decision he said finally allowed his daughter to feel safe.
When the family learned Harmel had been arrested, Solari said he and his wife were “just devastated” and “flabbergasted.”
Arellano disappeared on May 29, 2025, prompting a massive multi-agency search before she was rescued on November 1. Source: Rich County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook
Huntington is a small town where residents know one another, Solari said, adding that the community was shocked by the allegations.
“From the people that I talk to, they’re very upset. They don’t want him there. They don’t want their kids in danger.”
Solari said he still wants Harmel prosecuted over the allegations involving his daughter.
“It sucks that we had to get justice through somebody else getting injured, and God, I wish that would have never happened. But as long as he’s off the streets, that’s my biggest thing.”
“We want to see this man go away for life,” he added, speaking for himself and his wife. “We want to see justice for our children—and when I say our children, I mean all children. We need to stop protecting the predators and start protecting the children.”
In a statement to NBC News, Baxter said his office was actively investigating the case involving Solari’s daughter and had obtained a warrant the previous week.
“This is kind of like the earthquake that is bringing some more stuff, so to speak,” Baxter said of the federal charges.
“I’ve been in contact with the federal attorney and the FBI to see if there’s anything we can use from their case in our case,” the district attorney added.
The Daily Mail also contacted the Baker County District Attorney’s Office for comment.