A Utah teenager who vanished nearly a year and a half ago has been found safe in Oregon, ending a lengthy nationwide search that spanned more than 500 days.
Kylie Arellano, now 17, was last seen by her family on May 29, 2025, at their home in Garden City, Utah, when she was 15 years old.
Kylie’s disappearance had triggered a wide federal and state investigation that led officials through dozens of unconfirmed sightings before culminating in her recovery on Sunday.
Law enforcement officers in Oregon, working directly with the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office and the Rich County Sheriff’s Office, safely recovered the teen, according to a law enforcement news release.
Kylie, they said, was found with a 39-year-old man in Oregon. The man was taken into custody without incident.
“The FBI and the Rich County Sheriff’s Office have been actively investigating this case for more than a year and pursuing every lead received from across the US and in other countries.
“As this case is ongoing, no further information will be released at this time,” the FBI’s Salt Lake City field office said in a statement on Sunday.
Federal authorities also credited the Oregon State Police, the FBI’s Portland field office and the Utah Department of Public Safety for their assistance in the operation.
“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 told Fox News Digital.
“We are grateful she can return home, and we will continue working with our partners to hold those responsible accountable,” Patel added.
We inherited a massive DNA processing backlog that kept critical information out of the system law enforcement uses to help solve homicides, sexual assaults, mass shootings, and other violent crimes. Under President Trump’s leadership, we made the changes necessary for this FBI… pic.twitter.com/blNKthpEv8
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) August 29, 2026
“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.”
Kylie Arellano’s grandmother also thanked the authorities for finding her. “THANK YOU for all you and your agents and teams are doing to find our baby girl, Kylie Arellano and bring her home!!!” she wrote on X.
According to a law enforcement source, the suspect allegedly met the teenager on Snapchat before her disappearance.
Last year, Rich County Sheriff Dale Stacey said detectives had chased reports of sightings across multiple states and urged the public to preserve any photographic or timestamped evidence.
New details about the investigation had also emerged days before Kylie was found.
Unsealed search warrants reviewed by KUTV on Oct. 29 showed that investigators had previously scrutinized Kylie’s mother, Stephanie Coleman, and questioned her about a 2024 allegation of physical abuse.
There were also questions about discrepancies involving missing text messages from the night Kylie vanished and suspicious marks in the home.
Coleman had denied having any role in her daughter’s disappearance or abusing her, providing timestamped “good night” text messages from May 29, 2025.
She said the marks were caused by an injured cat and maintained that Kylie had likely been groomed and lured away by someone she encountered online, the outlet reported.
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