Houston police are investigating whether a man found alive after being reported missing eight years ago was actually missing at all.
Rudolph “Rudy” Farias was 17 years old when his mother reported him missing in 2015. Last week, he was found sleeping in front of a church and returned to his family, with media outlets picking up the miraculous story of how he was found alive after eight years.
But neighbors quickly questioned the reports, saying that Farias was never missing at all and had been living with his mother the entire time.
“He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son, and daughter,” neighbor Kisha Ross told ABC 13. “That boy has never been missing.”
On Wednesday, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told ABC 13 that police were looking into the claims.
“We understand why the public is asking questions; we get it,” Finner told the outlet. “Just like anything, HPD will get to the bottom of it. The truth is going to come out, and I don’t want to get ahead of that.”
When Farias was found sleeping outside a church last week, his mother told reporters that he had been beaten up and was left “non-verbal.”
Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, was filmed by neighbors this week talking about her 25-year-old son, KPRC 2 reported. In the clip, she said she was expecting to be arrested for allegedly hiding her son all those years. KPRC 2 further reports that Houston community activist Quannell X “said Farias told him and the investigator that his mom has been drugging and sexually abusing him.”
“When he first went missing, he didn’t report it to the police. And they’re trying to say he might have done some crimes — which he didn’t,” Santana said in the clip. “And now, they want to arrest me because they said I was hiding him.”
Houston police have said they spoke to Farias and his mother on Wednesday but did not elaborate on what they might have learned.
Farias was found sleeping outside a church on June 29. A good Samaritan contacted authorities, who were able to connect Farias with his family because he had something on him that identified a family member, KHOU reported.
Santana, Farias’ mother, released a statement Monday regarding her son:
“We want to thank the media and public for all their support.,” read the statement. “My son Rudy Farias IV was found on Thursday, June 29th, after being missing for 8 years. Currently, we do not have any additional information on Rudy’s case. What we do know is at the time of his recovery, a good Samaritan located him unresponsive and immediately called police and 911. My son Rudy is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is nonverbal and not able to communicate with us. We are asking for privacy during this difficult time but will share more details as Rudy continues to heal.”
Another twist in the case came when it was discovered that in 2018 — three years after Farias allegedly went missing — family members called the police to say that Farias was living behind a relative’s home. When police searched the area, they didn’t find Farias.
Farias was found just 25 minutes from where he allegedly disappeared.
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