Rudy Farias, a Houston man who made headlines after being found eight years after being reported missing on June 29, has been living at home with his mother the whole time according to local authorities.
Then-17-year-old Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV, was reported missing after walking his dogs on March 7, 2015. According to Lt. Christopher Zamora in a news conference, he returned home just a day later. Houston police officers reportedly interacted with both Farias and his mother, Janie Santana, multiple times in pursuit of the case, being given fake names and dates of birth by the two of them.
Zamora said that Santana "continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing" despite him living in the house the whole time.
According to NBC News, Farias allegedly suffered from depression after seeing his brother die in front of him, giving a possible reason for his disappearance. He was eventually found injured and nonverbal by a "good Samaritan" who called for medical help. When reunited with his family, he reportedly refused medical care despite his extensive injuries, which his family signed off on. Santana claimed that he was beaten by his kidnappers.
In light of the news that he was found and reunited with his family, neighbors began speaking to local news outlets about their shock. One of the family's neighbors, Kisha Ross, said she never knew he was missing. Farias would even hang out with her children and cousin. He went by the name "Dolph," short for his birth name Rudolph. When asked about the validity of their claims, Santana said that Ross and her family met her nephew and showed ABC13 a photo of him. Their neighbors say the man in the photos is not the same person they know.
Authorities reportedly received several tips throughout the years supporting the claim that Farias was never missing.
While there is no word on any charges Farias and his mother might face as a result of filing a false missing persons report, Zamora says it is against the law to give police officers a false name when being detained, which Farias did on multiple occasions.
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