Missing teen found with 39-year-old man over a year after she disappeared: ‘We are grateful she can return home’
Kylie Arellano was just 15 when she disappeared in May 2025
NEED TO KNOW
- A 17-year-old girl has been safely recovered in Oregon after she vanished from Utah in May 2025
- More than a year and a half later, she was discovered with a 39-year-old man, who has been taken into custody
- “To anyone using gore groups to target and exploit children: the FBI and our partners are coming for you,” said FBI Director Kash Patel
A missing Utah teen was found safe after being discovered in Oregon with a 39-year-old man, whom she allegedly connected with on Snapchat.
On Sunday, Nov. 1, authorities safely recovered a 17-year-old girl after she was reported missing in Garden City, Utah, in May 2025, the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said in a statement. The man she was with has since been taken into custody.
The girl has been identified as Kylie Arellano, who was just 15 when she disappeared, prompting a nationwide search, Fox News, radio station KYSR and CBS affiliate KUTV reported.
“Tonight, local police in Oregon brought a minor who had been missing for a year and a half to safety, acting on information provided by our FBI Salt Lake City Field Office,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in the statement.
“We are grateful she can return home, and we will continue working with our partners to hold those responsible accountable,” he continued. “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.”
The teen was last seen by loved ones in Garden City on May 29, 2025. An anonymous law enforcement source told Fix News that Arellano reportedly met the suspect on Snapchat before she vanished.
According to search warrants reviewed by KUTV, the girl’s mother, Stephanie Coleman, was questioned by officials regarding an abuse allegation in 2024. The woman was also questioned about goodnight text messages exchanged with Arellano that investigators weren’t able to find and what appeared to be blood stains in the home, according to the outlet.
Coleman denied ever abusing her child and said she was not involved in Arellano’s disappearance. Instead, Coleman told KUTV that her daughter may have chosen or been forced to leave after meeting someone online.
NEED TO KNOW
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Following the teen’s disappearance, state and local authorities spent “more than a year and pursuing every lead received from across the U.S. and in other countries,” said the FBI, which did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“As this case is ongoing,” the agency added, “no further information will be released at this time.”
