Utah Teen Found Safe After 17 Months Missing; 39-Year-Old Man Detained
Authorities located Utah teen Kylie Arellano in Oregon after 17 months missing. A 39-year-old man is in custody following the FBI investigation.
POLICY WIRE — Garden City, Utah — A teenage girl who had been missing for over a year and a half has been located and rescued, leading to the detention of a 39-year-old man in Oregon.
Kylie Arellano originally disappeared from her Garden City home in May 2025 at the age of 15. According to social media posts made by her mother, the teenager had left home and was in digital contact with various individuals across several states, a situation that left her vulnerable to potential exploitation.
On November 1, 2026, investigators from the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office and the Rich County Sheriff’s Department located Arellano in Oregon. She was found in the company of the unidentified man, who was taken into custody without any reported resistance.
FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that local Oregon law enforcement assisted in bringing the minor to safety based on intelligence from the Salt Lake City office. Patel expressed relief at the girl’s safe return and stated that law enforcement remains committed to ensuring any responsible parties are held to legal standards.
Arellano’s mother, Stephanie Kaye, shared her joy on Facebook, noting that she discovered her daughter had been found just minutes after posting an update. The discovery occurred the day before Kaye’s birthday.
Search warrants reviewed by KUTV revealed allegations from 2024 in which Arellano claimed her mother had choked her, a claim that Kaye vehemently denies. While police documents noted finding substance resembling blood in the residence at that time, Kaye explained the blood came from the girl’s cat following a fight with other neighborhood animals.
In an interview with the outlet, Kaye acknowledged the allegations might cast her in a negative light but maintained that she never abused her child.
In his official statement, Director Patel issued a warning against ‘gore groups,’ which the Department of Homeland Security identifies as online networks that circulate violent media and exploitation material. The DHS reports a sharp increase in criminal activity linked to these networks throughout 2025.
Patel asserted that the FBI and its various partners are utilizing all available resources to combat violent extremism and prosecute those who target or exploit children online.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
