Among Us helped solve the kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl who was held for over a year

A 17-year-old girl who was held against her will for more than 500 days was rescued after secretly asking another player for help in Among Us.

Kylie Arellano went missing from her Utah home in May 2025, when she was 15 years old. She was found only on November 1, 2026, thanks to communicating with another child in the popular multiplayer game. The girl was being held in the basement of the home of 39-year-old Adam Hunter Harmel in Huntington, Oregon. Federal prosecutors allege that the man met the teenager online, traveled to Utah to pick her up, threw her phone into a river, and took her across state lines.

According to the prosecution, Harmel did not allow the girl to leave the house, repeatedly beat her, and forced her to remove her braces using pliers to make her harder to identify. Later, he gave her a phone without cellular service, but with Wi-Fi access. In mid-October, Arellano began messaging another child in Among Us, and they then moved to another social media platform. There, the girl revealed her identity and spoke about the kidnapping. Her chat partner’s mother contacted the FBI.

During a video call on November 1, Arellano described what was happening and showed evidence, including a knife that Harmel allegedly kept under his pillow. That same day, the girl was freed, and the man was detained.