Utah Minor Missing for a Year and a Half Recovered: Oregon Man Charged With Transporting Minor for Criminal Sexual Activity
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on November 4 that a Utah minor who had been missing for a year and a half was safely recovered by law enforcement on November 1 at a residence in Oregon. Adam Hunter Harmel, 39, of Huntington, Oregon, is in federal custody, charged in a criminal complaint with transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
According to the Justice Department, Harmel allegedly met the minor online in May 2025, drove to Utah to pick up the victim, and transported the victim across state lines to his residence in Oregon. FBI Salt Lake City received information on August 20, 2025, that the minor had disappeared in May 2025. The complaint alleges the victim was groomed on gaming platforms commonly used by members of Nihilistic Violent Extremist groups to solicit sexually explicit and self-harm images, before the contact moved to other social media applications. On November 1, the FBI received a tip about the victim's possible location, and law enforcement recovered the minor at Harmel's residence the same day. The complaint also alleges Harmel kept a knife under his pillow to prevent the minor from escaping.
Harmel was charged by criminal complaint on November 2 in the District of Utah and had his initial appearance on November 4 at the U.S. District Courthouse in Boise, Idaho.
"Anyone engaged in the sexual exploitation of a minor will be held accountable," said Attorney General Todd Blanche. "Today's arrest is the first step toward bringing the accused to justice and relieving the pain endured by the victim and her family. This Department of Justice will never stop investigating and prosecuting individuals engaged in vicious predatory behavior."
FBI Director Kash Patel said the defendant is charged with transporting a minor to another state to engage in criminal sexual activity, a minor who was missing for a year and a half until Oregon police recovered her based on information provided by the FBI, and he thanked the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, the Oregon State Police, and federal prosecutors for their work. U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah said the priority in the case was the safe return of the minor victim and that those who allegedly exploit the most vulnerable members of communities will be relentlessly investigated and held accountable.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office in conjunction with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, with valuable assistance from the Oregon State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jawayria Z. Auchter for the District of Utah and Trial Attorneys Justin Sher and James Donnelly of the National Security Division's Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case. A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国司法部总部大楼。司法部固定图库照片，公共领域。 / Photo: U.S. Department of Justice headquarters. Department fixed photo library, public domain.
