A 17-year-old Utah teenager was rescued by authorities in Oregon last month after being held captive for almost 18 months by 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel. The FBI’s 521-day-long search finally came to a close thanks to a chance online meeting in Among Us, after the missing teen used the game to contact a fellow player for help.
As reported by Newsweek, the missing teenager was kidnapped by Harmel in May 2025. The predator supposedly lured the then 15-year-old victim into a meeting via Snapchat, at which point he disposed of their phone and kept her captive in his basement for over 500 days.
More recently, Harmel gave the victim a new phone without cellular data. However, the teenager was able to connect to Wi-Fi via the phone and used it to access the online game Among Us. The victim then seemingly used Among Us’ in-game chat function to contact another teenager in a lobby. The two exchanged social media details.
From here, the victim explained the details of her kidnapping and, according to Newsweek’s report, stated that “she believed police had stopped looking for her.” The victim’s contact relayed this information to the teen’s mother, who ultimately contacted the FBI. Authorities then set up a video call with the kidnapped teenager, during which the victim recounted Harmel’s abuse during the 18 months she was held in captivity.
The FBI located the victim at Harmel’s residence in Oregon on November 1 and discovered multiple pieces of evidence that corroborated the kidnapped teenager’s account, including a knife that Harmel reportedly used to threaten the victim.
Harmel was subsequently arrested during a traffic stop in Ontario, Oregon, after the 17-year-old victim was found in his home. Harmel was officially charged during a brief, 10-minute appearance at the U.S. District Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, on November 4.
