How a teenage girl trapped for 500 days used online video game to alert the outside world
Video games are supposed to bring us together, and while we know there are issues involving people spending too much time on them as they shy away from natural light and destroy their testosterone levels, it's not all sticky teenagers hiding in basements.
Whole communities have been built inside video games, bringing joy to the likes of Skyrim Grandma, and encouraging creativity as we've seen everything from Middle-Earth to Pokémon Red being built in Minecraft.
There's also a darker side of video games linked to real-life crimes, like the harrowing case of Stephen McCullagh using GTA as a murder alibi, or the 11-year-old accused of shooting his father when he took away his Nintendo Switch.
Sticking with true crime but giving a slightly more positive spin, Newsweek reports on the case of 17-year-old Kylie Arellano and how she used Among Us to reveal she'd been kidnapped.
Who is Kylie Arellano?
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Missing from her Utah town since May 2025, Arellano's disappearance led to a multi-agency search between the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office and Utah's Rich County Sheriff’s Office.
She was missing for over 500 days, but eventually managed to contact another player through Innersloth's indie title. You might remember how Among Us really took off during the pandemic as we were locked up in our homes, sparking a wave of similar social deduction games.
Federal court documents reveal how Arellano told another child she was being kept in a man's basement, with that kid's mother contacting the FBI. The 17-year-old was rescued on November 1, and 39-year-old Adam Harmel, from Huntington, Oregon, was arrested.
Harmel has been charged with allegedly transporting Arellano across state lines for the purpose of exploiting her, while prosecutors allege he repeatedly assaulted her in a basement where he also slept.
As well as an FBI affidavit stating Harmel kept a knife beneath his pillow and made Arellano sleep against a wall in his bed so she couldn't escape, it's said he forced her to remove her braces with pliers so she'd be less identifiable.
Arellano was just 15 when she vanished from Garden City, with her mother, Stephanie Coleman, suspecting that Kylie had been abducted by someone she met online.
A law enforcement source previously suggested Arellano might've met her kidnapper through Snapchat, while a federal complaint maintains Harmel first got in touch with her online in May 2025.
It's alleged that he told her about a disability affecting his hips and offered her money if she'd travel to Oregon.
Investigators say Harmel drove to Perry, Utah, to collect Arellano on May 29, supposedly throwing her phone into a river after she got into his vehicle, then driving her to his Huntington home.
A housemate of Harmel's says he introduced Arellano as his girlfriend, although they apparently didn't see her until about two months after she arrived.
How did Kylie Arellano escape?
Harmel seemingly made a mistake when he gave Arellano a phone without any cellular data. She could still access the internet via Wi-Fi, and using it to play Among Us, she was able to get in touch with someone on the outside.
The conversation moved away from Among Us and to another social media platform, where Arellano was able to reveal who she really was. The FBI then monitored a video call with her on November 1, where she detailed her capture, showed the knife, and other evidence to support her claims. When Oregon State Police and federal agents searched the property, they found more evidence backing up her story.
Following Harmel's arrest, the FBI has issued a warning about so-called 'gore groups' that target children online.
The Department of Justice delivered a November 4 statement explaining that Kylie Arellano had been targeted on gaming platforms that are used by violent extremist groups.
Networks including No Lives Matter and Maniac Murder Cult are mentioned, as well as The Com, which is a wider network of online communities that target vulnerable young people through gaming platforms and social media.
FBI director Kash Patel said he was grateful that Arellano could return home to her family and that investigators would continue to bring those accountable to justice, adding: "To anyone using gore groups to target and exploit children: the FBI and our partners are coming for you.
“We are using every tool at our disposal to combat nihilistic violent extremism, bring offenders to justice and protect America’s children."
