A teenage girl who was allegedly held captive for more than 500 days has been rescued after using Among Us to alert another player that she had been kidnapped.
Kylie Arellano, 17, disappeared from her home in Utah in May 2025 when she was just 15 years old. She was finally rescued on November 1, 2026, after contacting another child through the popular multiplayer game.
According to Newsweek, Arellano had been held against her will in the basement of a home belonging to 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel in Huntington, Oregon.
Federal prosecutors allege Harmel met the teenager online before driving to Utah to pick her up, throwing her phone into a river and taking her across state lines.
Once at his home, Harmel allegedly prevented Arellano from leaving, repeatedly assaulted her and forced her to remove her braces with pliers to make her harder to identify.
Teen uses Among Us to alert player she was kidnapped
Despite allegedly keeping her captive, Harmel eventually provided Arellano with a phone that had no cellular service but could still connect to Wi-Fi.
In mid-October, she began communicating with another child through Among Us. Their conversations eventually moved to another social media platform, where Arellano revealed her identity and explained that she was being held against her will.
InnerslothShe also reportedly believed police had stopped searching for her.
The other player’s mother contacted the FBI, which arranged to monitor a video call with Arellano on November 1.
During the call, the teenager described her captivity and showed investigators evidence supporting her claims, including a knife Harmel allegedly kept beneath his pillow.
Authorities rescued Arellano from the Oregon property that same day and took her for medical treatment. Harmel was arrested during a traffic stop.
In a November 4 statement, the Department of Justice confirmed Harmel had been charged with transporting a minor across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
The case comes amid growing concerns about predators targeting children through online gaming platforms.
Earlier in 2026, two sisters aged 12 and 15 were rescued after allegedly being kidnapped by a man they met on Roblox.
However, in Arellano’s case, an online gaming connection ultimately helped bring her captivity to an end.
Harmel made his initial federal court appearance on November 4.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
