Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, was taken into custody and charged federally with transporting a minor with intent to commit a criminal sexual act. Court filings allege he picked up a teen in Perry, Utah, and took her to Oregon. Police raided his home and rescued the girl.
Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, was taken into custody. Federal investigators charged him with transporting a minor with the intent to commit a criminal sexual act. Police raided Harmel's home on Sunday, rescued the girl and took her for medical treatment. Officers confiscated knives, female clothing and BB guns.
Allegations in the court filings
The filing alleges Harmel drove from Oregon to Perry, Utah, picked up the teenager on May 29, 2025, and drove back toward Oregon. According to the indictment, he allegedly met the girl online and told her he was disabled. The indictment says he drove from Oregon to Box Elder County to pick her up and threw her phone into the Logan River during the trip. The affidavit says he is accused of driving her to his home in eastern Oregon after discarding the phone in a river in Logan Canyon. The filing states he told her she was not allowed to leave.
The affidavit alleges Harmel was violent with the girl, often hitting and sexually assaulting her. It also alleges he forced her to remove her braces with pliers so she couldn't be identified.
How investigators found her
According to federal court documents, the FBI received a tip on November 1, 2026 about the possible location of the missing teenager. The tip came from a person whose minor child met the teenager while playing the online game AmongUs, with communication moving to another social media application. According to the filing, a search warrant that was executed corroborated information the teenager gave on a video call, including items found in the home.
