The 17-year-old was recovered in Oregon after another teenager learned online that she said she was being held against her will.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — A Colorado teenager who met a missing Utah girl through an online game helped set in motion the tip that led authorities to find her in Oregon, nearly 18 months after she disappeared from Garden City, according to federal authorities and court documents.
The 17-year-old girl was safely recovered Nov. 1 at a residence in Oregon, the FBI said. Investigators had been searching for her since she was reported missing in May 2025. Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, of Huntington, Oregon, was taken into custody and later charged in a federal complaint with transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. The charge is an allegation, and Harmel is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The break in the case came after the missing girl connected with another minor while playing the online game “Among Us” around Oct. 15, according to reporting based on the federal complaint. Their conversation later moved to another social media platform, where the girl disclosed her identity and said she was being held against her will at a man’s home in Oregon. The other teenager told an adult, helping information reach investigators.
On Nov. 1, the FBI received information about the girl’s possible location, according to the Justice Department. Investigators arranged or monitored further contact with her as they worked to confirm where she was. Oregon law enforcement, working with the FBI’s Salt Lake City office and the Rich County Sheriff’s Office, located the girl that afternoon. Authorities said she was taken to safety and received medical attention.
The Justice Department alleges Harmel met the girl online in May 2025 and later drove from Oregon to Utah to pick her up. Prosecutors say he then transported her across state lines to his Oregon residence. The federal complaint alleges that once she was there, Harmel restricted her ability to leave and kept a knife nearby. Authorities also allege she was subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Those claims have not been proven in court.
The FBI said its Salt Lake City office and the Rich County Sheriff’s Office had pursued leads for more than a year, including information received from across the United States and other countries. The bureau announced Nov. 1 that the teenager had been found safely with a 39-year-old man in Oregon and said the man was taken into custody without incident.
The Justice Department said investigators had learned during the search that the girl had been groomed through online gaming and social media platforms before her disappearance. Federal officials said some of the platforms under investigation have been used by people associated with groups that target minors for sexually explicit or violent material. Authorities have not said that the Colorado teenager who later contacted the girl had any connection to those activities.
The circumstances of the rescue show how an online conversation between two teenagers became a critical lead after a lengthy investigation. Reporting on the complaint says the girl shared information about her identity and disappearance with the other teenager, allowing an adult to recognize the seriousness of what she was saying and contact authorities. The FBI has not publicly identified the Colorado teenager.
Harmel was charged in a federal complaint filed Nov. 2 in the District of Utah and made an initial court appearance Nov. 4 at the U.S. District Courthouse in Boise, Idaho, the Justice Department said. The FBI Salt Lake City Field Office is investigating the case with its Joint Terrorism Task Force, with assistance from Oregon State Police. Federal prosecutors in Utah and attorneys with the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section are handling the case.
The investigation remains ongoing. Federal authorities have released limited information about the recovered teenager, who was a minor when she disappeared, and the FBI has said no additional details would be released while the case remains under investigation.
Author note: Last updated November 5, 2026.