Police in Houston, Texas, have said that the man reported as missing for eight years was never actually missing, and that his mother had passed him off as her nephew all that time.
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 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.”
Police began investigating the allegations that Farias was never missing, and on Thursday, Houston police Lt. Christopher Zamora told reporters that Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, had lied about him being missing. Santana referred to her son as her nephew when they were out in public and repeatedly lied to police about him being missing.
Zamora said that during the eight years Farias was allegedly missing, police had encountered him, but both he and his mother gave false information about his identity, the New York Post reported.
“During these contacts, fictitious names and date of births were given, misleading the officers,” Zamora told reporters. “In fact, both Janie, Rudy’s mother, and Rudy himself gave fictitious names while interacting with various patrol officers.”
So far, no charges have been filed against Santana, but police are still looking into the situation. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said during a Thursday press conference that there was a lack of probable cause to arrest Santana. When asked by a reporter what kind of charges Santana could face for not accurately reporting her son’s whereabouts, Zamora said she would face a “class C misdemeanor, which is similar to a traffic citation.”
Santana reported Farias as missing on March 7, 2015, but he actually returned a day later. For the next eight years, Santana “continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing,” Zamora said.
“She alleged her nephew was the person friends and family were seeing coming and going,” he added.
Farias has been reunited with his aunt, Pauline Sanchez, who told media outlets she hadn’t seen her nephew in eight years.
“I felt great presence. It was beautiful. We hugged until I finally let go. He’s a bit skinny,” she said. “He’s doing well but plans to stay away from his mother.”
Farias will be staying with a friend and reportedly wants no contact with his mother.
“His mentality, he needs to get well. He’s going to be cautious. I still feel that he’s traumatized and gone through a lot. I still feel action should be taken,” Sanchez said. “He doesn’t want to see his mom and doesn’t want to go back to his mom.”