Man charged after Utah teen missing for 17 months found at his home

An Oregon man accused of kidnapping a Utah teen and keeping her hostage for more than 17 months at his home has been charged in federal court, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Read more trending news

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, of Huntington, was charged in a federal complaint on Monday in the District of Utah. He made his initial appearance on Wednesday at the U.S. District Courthouse in Boise, Idaho.

Harmel was charged with transportation with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, KSL reported.

A Colorado teenager who helped the FBI find a missing Utah girl is being recognized for his courage after telling an adult that the girl he met online said she was being held against her will, federal court documents say. @livkellehernews https://t.co/S3KKkXJMlN

— KUTV2news (@KUTV2News) November 5, 2026

Authorities acting on a tip rescued the 17-year-old girl Sunday at a home in Huntington, The Associated Press reported. They arrested Harmel during a traffic stop about 30 miles away.

On Monday, FBI officials in Salt Lake City announced that the girl, who was 15 at the time of her alleged abduction, was reported missing from Garden City in May 2025 and safely recovered, KSL reported.

The missing girl told another teen, a boy from Colorado who she met online, according to KUTV.

On Sunday, a parent of the other child contacted the missing Utah girl by video — and the FBI listened in.

According to KUTV, the children communicated through the online game “Among Us” and the missing teen revealed her circumstances more fully on social media.

Retired FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer lauded the boy’s courage in getting the information to authorities.

“The fact that this minor was able to get this critical information from the other minor, from the victim in this case, it was really exceptional,” she told the television station.

“It’s absolutely baffling and surprising that the reason she was found was basically because she was playing ‘Among Us’ with a stranger somewhere else in the world,” Michael Morrissey, owner of a Salt Lake area gaming store called GameChangerz, told KUTV. Morrissey, who is also a parent, called the girl’s story “terrifying.”

Morrissey posed several possibilities, which have not been confirmed by authorities.

“Either (the suspect) didn’t realize she was playing ‘Among Us,’ (or) it’s also possible that he didn’t know that Among Us involved chat with other people,” he told KUTV.

According to court documents, FBI agents interviewed the missing teen’s family, who told them she had been groomed on gaming platforms and that it “transitioned to other social media applications” where she had sent explicit images and videos to other users in exchange for money, the charges state.

“Anyone engaged in the sexual exploitation of a minor will be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “Today’s arrest is the first step toward bringing the accused to justice and relieving the pain endured by the victim and her family.”