Utah teen allegedly forced to rip out own braces with pliers while held captive for over 17 months gets rescued after playing Among Us
She was finally found after being missing for more than 500 days.
17-year-old Kylie Arellano, who disappeared from her home in Garden City, Utah, was found in the home of 39-year-old Adam Harmel in Huntington, Oregon, where she was allegedly held captive for 521 days. Her rescue came after she befriended another player on the popular online game Among Us, who then alerted authorities to her location. Harmel is now facing charges of transporting a minor to another state to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to a federal complaint, Harmel is said to have met Arellano, who was then 15, online in May 2025 and claimed to have a disability that affected his hips. Authorities allege Harmel drove to Perry, Utah, on May 29 to pick up the teen after offering her money to visit Oregon, according to Newsweek. Harmel supposedly threw away Arellano’s phone before he took her across state lines.
Arellano’s mother, Stephanie Coleman, told investigators that she suspected her daughter was taken by someone she met online. However, the events that led to Arellano’s disappearance were unclear at the time.
Arellano was rescued after befriending another teen on Among Us
When they arrived at his home, Harmel supposedly prevented Arellano from leaving and introduced her to his housemate as his girlfriend. Over the next 17 months, Arellano was allegedly kept in the basement where Harmel also slept, and was subjected to repeated sexual and physical assault. At one point, according to the complaint, she was forced to remove her braces with pliers to avoid being identified.
Arellano later received a phone with only Wi-Fi access, which allowed her to meet another teen while playing Among Us. In mid-October, the two teens exchanged social media, with Arellano ultimately disclosing her real identity and that she was being kept in a man’s home against her will, believing that the police had also stopped efforts to search for her, the complaint said.
The other teen reportedly informed their mother about the conversation with Arellano, prompting her to contact the FBI and report the incident. A monitored video call with Arellano was arranged on Sunday, Nov. 1, during which the teen described meeting Harmel and how she was brought to Oregon. She also showed the knife Harmel allegedly kept under his pillow to stop her from escaping as he slept beside her.
Arellano was allegedly groomed online
FBI and Oregon State Police later located Arellano in Harmel’s home and rescued her before transporting the teen to the hospital to receive treatment. On the other hand, authorities reportedly found items in Harmel’s home that substantiated Arellano’s claims. Harmel was subsequently arrested during a traffic stop in Ontario, Oregon.
The Department of Justice shared more details on Arellano’s disappearance, alleging that she was targeted and groomed on platforms commonly used by Nihilistic Violent Extremist group members to solicit sexually explicit photos. “According to the criminal complaint, the minor was groomed on gaming platforms and engaged in acts of self-harm and sexually explicit activity,” FBI director Kash Patel said. “To anyone targeting and exploiting children: this FBI and our partners are coming for you.”
Harmel reportedly made his initial appearance at the U.S. District Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The investigation is currently ongoing and is jointly being handled by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. Meanwhile, transporting a minor to another state to engage in criminal sexual activity carries a minimum of 10 years or up to life in prison if found guilty.
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