Utah girl missing for 17 months found at home of Oregon man who faces federal charge

HUNTINGTON, Ore. — A 17-year-old girl from Utah who went missing in May 2025 was found at the home of an Oregon man who’s been charged with transporting her across state lines with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.

Authorities acting on a tip rescued the girl Sunday at a home in Huntington, Oregon, and arrested Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, in a traffic stop about 30 miles away (48 kilometers).

The missing girl told another child she met online that she had run away and was being held against her will at a man’s house in Oregon.

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

During the call, the missing girl said that she met Harmel on social media and that he had driven her from Utah to Oregon, an FBI agent said in court records.

She also said Harmel threw her phone in a river; told her she couldn't leave his home; made her sleep against a wall to prevent her from escaping from the bed they shared; often hit her; sexually assaulted her; and forced her to remove her braces with pliers so she couldn’t be identified, according to the FBI.

No lawyer for Harmel was listed in court records.

The federal public defender’s office in Utah declined to comment when The Associated Press asked if it represented Harmel. The AP also reached out through social media to someone believed to be related to Harmel.