The case of the Texas teen who was just found eight years after going missing has taken a strange turn!
ICYMI, last week the Houston Police Department were called to a southwest Houston church after a passerby noticed an unconscious man lying on the ground outside. When they responded to the scene, they reportedly found an item on the man that had family identification on it, and were able to contact his family. Shockingly enough, hours later they found out this man was none other than Rudolph “Rudy” Farias — a man who had gone missing way back in 2015 — when he was only 17 years old.
Multiple outlets reported the story of what happened back when Rudy first vanished, and it seemed like a miraculous ending. Apparently he had gone out to walk his dogs in his northeastern Houston neighborhood — then his dogs returned to his home to his family, but he didn’t. His worried mother and contacted police and the Texas Center for the Missing, but to no avail. Janie Santana wouldn’t lay eyes on her son again until last Thursday — or at least that’s what she said.
Now her neighbors and people close to the investigation have conflicting reports…
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According to one neighbor, Kisha Ross, Rudy wasn’t ever missing at all! She told ABC7 on Wednesday he was still regularly hanging out with her family all the time he was supposedly gone:
“He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son, and daughter.”
She also said the now 25-year-old liked to go hang out in the woods by himself, adding:
“That boy has never been missing.”
What!?
But things only get more confusing… Broderick Conley, a cousin of Kisha’s, backed her up and said Rudy — or as they referred to him, Dolph — was a regular visitor at their home. They recall lots of “laughing” and “good times” with the supposedly missing man, even as recent as a few weeks ago. According to them, he only stopped coming over two weeks ago. So where has he been all this time? Oh, simple.
They say he STILL LIVES AT HOME WITH HIS MOM!!! Supposedly they hang out with him all the time, and don’t understand why anyone would report him missing.
Another anonymous neighbor also spoke to the outlet Wednesday, and claimed:
“I was just shocked someone over here was missing, and we see him.”
Rudy’s mom insists these neighbors are mistaken. She argues the man they were seeing and calling Dolph was Rudy’s cousin, and they were just confused. However, when a reporter showed the neighbors a photo of said cousin, they insist that’s not the man they know as Dolph.
WTF is going on…
Sadly, as previously reported, police aren’t able to get any information out of Rudy — he’s gone nonverbal according to doctors. Santana previously said he’s only able to get out a few words before he curls into the fetal position and “shuts down.” She also claimed to have concerns he may have been kidnapped, beaten, or even sold into sex trafficking. In a flyer regarding the search being over shortly after he was found, the family wrote:
“It’s him!!! It’s our Rudy. Rudy is in pretty bad shape, he has cuts, soft tissue tumors, small openings and swelling on the soles of his feet, along with bruising, old and new cuts/scrapes on his body, old dry blood on his head and hair, he has very very dark complexion now almost unrecognizable. It broke our hearts to see him in this condition. God only knows what he has endured during his time away from home. The note also mentions that he is in a lot of pain. He flinches if you try to touch him or hug him thinking we are going to strike him. He thinks his name is Julio Torres and he is 14 now.”
He thinks his name is Julio? And not Dolph?
So, so sad. The flyer also stated Rudy is suffering from PTSD, depression, and anxiety, as well as saying he attempted suicide.
The idea this story is actually one about a poor young man with mental health problems is sad, but it would make sense. What doesn’t is why his mother would fake his disappearance, lying to police and the press. Because if he’s been in that house the whole time, that’s exactly what she’s done.
It’s worth noting Santana only recently agreed to have her identity become public. Back in 2017, she spoke to ABC13 anonymously, citing that she was concerned her son’s disappearance was “suspicious” and she didn’t want her identity to be public. Is it possible she just didn’t want anyone to recognize her and realize she was lying? We’re so confused…
Police are due to try and talk to Rudy one-on-one today, so hopefully they’ll get some answers and get on their way to getting justice for him. We hope he’s able to heal and find peace very soon.
You can watch the video for more info (below):
[Image via ABC13/YouTube/Texas Center for the Missing]