A teen who was held captive for over a year used the popular video game Among Us to communicate with another player and secured her own rescue.
Missing Utah Teen Reached Out Through Among Us
According to KSL, the 17-year-old had been missing from her home in Utah since May 2025 and interacted with another online player in the game last month. She told them that she was kidnapped and held captive at a man’s house in Oregon. The other player’s mother contacted the FBI, and the teen was rescued from the home on November 1.
Investigators identified the suspect as Adam Harmel, 39, of Huntington, Oregon, and charged him with allegedly transporting the teen across state lines with the intent of exploiting her. He is also accused of sexual assault and reportedly told the teen that he wanted to start a family with her.
Prosecutors Detail Her Time in Captivity
The teen was 15 at the time of the kidnapping, and prosecutors stated that Harmel kept her in his basement, where he repeatedly assaulted her. She was also forced to remove her braces with pliers so she wouldn’t be easily identified. Harmel allegedly kept a knife under his pillow and forced the teen to sleep against the wall in his bed so she couldn’t escape.
A federal complaint explained that Harmel contacted the teen online and told her he had a disability. He allegedly offered her money to travel to Oregon. When Harmel picked her up in Perry, Utah, she threw her phone into a nearby canyon. After arriving at his home, he told her that she couldn’t leave.
A Wi-Fi Connection Became Her Lifeline
The teen was given a phone without cellular data, but she could access Wi-Fi, which led her to use the Among Us game as a key to her rescue around mid-October. In a video call with the other person’s mom, she showed the basement, including the weapon that was under Harmel’s pillow.
The teen’s family said she frequented online gaming spaces and could’ve been lured by someone she met.