Missing Utah teen found in Oregon after contact through Among Us

A teenager who had been missing from Utah for more than 17 months was found in Oregon after she made contact with another young player of the online game Among Us, Eurogamer reported.

Among Us is a multiplayer game in which small groups of players complete tasks on a spaceship while hidden impostors try to sabotage it. Players talk to each other through in-game chat and, in many cases, on other apps.

The girl was 15 when she disappeared from Garden City, Utah, on 29 May 2025. She is now 17. Around 15 October 2026, she began chatting with another teenager in the game. The pair later moved to a different social media app, where she said she was being held against her will in Oregon.

She had been given a phone with no mobile data plan. It could only get online through wi-fi, which limited how she could reach people outside the house.

The other teen told a parent, who contacted the FBI on 1 November. Agents monitored a video call, and the girl was recovered from the house later that day, a Sunday. ABC News reported the recovery and the length of the search.

Police arrested Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, of Huntington, Oregon, during a traffic stop. He is alleged to have met the girl online in May 2025, driven to Utah to pick her up, and taken her across state lines to his home.

Harmel was charged on 2 November with transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. He made his first court appearance in Boise, Idaho, on 4 November.

According to the FBI, Harmel kept the girl in the basement of his home in eastern Oregon for more than a year. The agency says he assaulted her while she was held there. OregonLive carried the FBI's account.

These are allegations, and the case is at an early stage. Harmel's charges are yet to be tested in court.

For anyone who plays online games with young people, the story is a reminder that children can be contacted through many channels, not just the game itself. Parents and players who have concerns about someone they meet online can report them to the FBI or to local police.