A seemingly miraculous story from days ago has taken a potentially disturbing turn as new details come to light.
On July 2, Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV, who had been reported missing since March 2015, was found by police outside a church in Houston. Search organizations called it a “miracle” that the now-25-year-old was finally found after 8 years.
But over the past few days there have been doubts cast about the story — and now police say that Rudy had not actually been missing all this time.
According to AP, Houston police detectives say that despite longtime reports that he had been missing since March 6, 2015, he actually returned home the next day.
The police made the claim after interviewing Farias and his mother Janie Santana on Wednesday. Farias was hospitalized after discovered found him unresponsive outside the church; he reportedly had cuts and bruises all over his body.
“After investigators talked with him yesterday, it was discovered that Rudy returned home the following day on March 8, 2015,” Lt. Christopher Zamora said in a news conference.
“During the 8-year time frame where he was missing, investigators followed up on many tips leads and collected evidence proving that Rudy was not missing,” he said, per FOX 4.
“The mother, Janie, continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing,” he continued, claiming that she and Farias gave investigators a false name and date of birth during police interviews.
Investigators had responded to potential sightings of Farias over the past 8 years, but Santana would falsely claim they were someone else: “She alleged her nephew was the person friends and family would see coming and going,” Zamora said.
According to AP, prosecutors have declined to bring false report charges against Farias or Santana, but an investigation is still ongoing: police said they were “right at the beginning” of their investigation.
The initial missing persons report said that Farias disappeared while walking his two dogs. It also said that he was suffering from depression, PTSD and anxiety. Local police and search and rescue teams looked for him without success, and a missing persons case remained open for years.
After Farias was found, Santana said that her son was nonverbal and recovering from trauma. The police did not comment on Farias’ mental state.
The police’s statement comes after a neighbor and community activist shed doubt on the family’s story. “This young man said when he initially ran away, he came back two days later,” the activist Quanell X said at a news conference, according to NBC News.
Their neighbor Kisha Ross claimed that Farias would often come over to socialize with her son, daughter and cousin, but was otherwise isolated by his mother.
“That boy hasn’t been missing for no eight years,” Ross said”He’s been staying with his mom ever since I moved to Houston.. His mama has been making him go to work with her at 7 p.m., and she wouldn’t let him get no job. She wouldn’t let him do nothing. She made him stay up under her at all times.”
This is a shocking update to this story, and we hope the ongoing police investigation reveals the truth in this strange case.
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