Rudy Farias Speaks! Says Mother 'Brainwashed & Manipulated' Him - But What About Those Abuse Claims?

Rudolph “Rudy” Farias is finally speaking out about exactly what’s gone down over the past eight years — and it doesn’t bode well for his mother.

Over the past week, the 25-year-old has made headlines after seemingly returning home after going missing eight long years ago at just 17. As the story goes, he was found unconscious but alive outside a Houston, Texas church before he was rushed to the hospital. His mother, Janie Santana, speculated at what may have happened to him in the mysterious time frame, but overall was just happy to have her son home… That is until her neighbor spoke out.

The story took a shocking twist after Santana’s neighbor claimed “that boy has never been missing,” and that he was actually living at home the entire time! The Houston Police Department was able to corroborate this claim, discovering Rudy had actually only ever been missing for one day back in 2015, but since then, Santana has maintained the story that he never returned home to exploit concerned citizens for a buck… She reportedly raised $2k on GoFundMe, AND an undisclosed amount on Facebook.

Over the years, Santana created fake names and aliases for herself AND Rudy to avoid having her trail caught onto, but the case has finally been cracked wide open and more and more shocking information continues to pour out.

Local activist Quanell X, who spoke directly with Rudy, told KHOU11 that Santana had sexually abused the young man over the years, but cops weren’t able to confirm the claim. His aunt, Pauline Sanchez, later spoke with NBC about how Rudy now plans to “stay away from his mother,” despite HPD’s statement that he remained “with his mother by choice.”

There’s been a lot of talk on Rudy’s behalf, and now, he’s finally speaking out for himself.

In an interview with Fox 26 Houston Tuesday, the 25-year-old couldn’t control his emotions as he recounted the near decade-long abuse he’s suffered at the hand of his mother. He told the outlet that he’d wanted to “be free,” but his mother had other plans for him. He explained that after losing his brother, he really didn’t have anyone else to teach him “how to live,” leading to a dangerous path of dependency — and trust — in his mom. He explained:

“[I] was held against my will, mentally, not physically, she was just constantly bombarding me with negative thoughts.”

He added the situation “felt like Stockholm Syndrome,” and like he was “in a prison” because Santana would constantly fill his mind with false truths to keep him under her thumb:

“She would manipulate me into saying I would get arrested for a speeding ticket.”

He reflected on the disheartening situation, admitting, “It just felt like brainwashing, honestly.”

So sad. He also shared that his mother would keep him in captivity when she would have visitors over, instructing him to remain silent for his own safety:

“I was stuck at home. Somebody would come up, my mom would just tell me to stay in the room, keep the door locked, don’t let them in [and] don’t make any sounds.”

He continued:

“I would just have to listen to my family, be happy and cheerful on the other side of the f**king door. I wanted to scream for them, but at the same time I couldn’t. The only person I could trust was my mom.”

How cruel. Rudy expressed:

“I’d be like, ‘I just want my family, just want people, just want communication.’ I just wanted to live my life.”

As for the sexual abuse claims, Rudy denied his mother never abused him in that way, explaining:

“She didn’t force herself on me or anything like that. It would never be anything like that. Just stuff that really made me uncomfortable.”

What an absolutely tragic story. As of now, Santana has not been charged. We’ll just have to see how things continue to play out. Watch his full interview (below):