CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses abuse, drugs and mental health.
There have been developments in the story of missing teenager Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV, who was found by police last week after being missing for eight years.
But Farias’ neighbours are saying the 25-year-old was never missing, and a press conference with a community activist who recently spent hours with Farias claims that his mother was drugging and abusing him.
Houston community activist Quanell X spoke at a press conference and shared what he learned during a one-on-one with Farias and a detective — only after Farias was away from his mother — during a visit to Houston police station.
Farias said that he returned back home two days after running away in 2015, where his mother told him to hide because he was going to be in trouble, Quanell said.
“Whenever the investigators would come, she would hide him in the house,” Quanell said.
“He said that she would make him sleep in the bed with her and he said that she made him play daddy.”
Quanell said that Farias would hide under the bed but that Janie said he had to be her husband.
Farias’ father was a Houston police officer who died by suicide in 2014, during which he was facing an internal affairs investigation.
Quanell said that the mother was providing hallucinogenic drugs to Farias for years. “She was drugging the hell out of this kid.”
Another thing that came to light during the conference was Janie’s credit card that was in Farias’ pocket when they found him. It was only two years old. “If he’s been missing eight years, how the hell did he get your credit card in his pocket?”
“His exact words were, ‘I was tired of living like a slave,’” Quanell said of Farias’ reasons for eventually escaping.
According to Quanell, Farias would only speak about his mother when she was no longer in the room with him. “He was petrified,” Quanell claimed.
According to Houston TV network ABC-KTRK, neighbour Kisha Ross and her family were confused to hear the news about Farias’ being located as they weren’t aware he was ever missing.
“That boy has never been missing,” Ross said, as per news.com.au, claiming that Farias used to come over to their garage and “chill” with her cousin, daughter and son.
The family did, however, say that while Farias visited their home often, they hadn’t seen him in the last few weeks.
To make this case even more confusing, another neighbour said that he had seen Farias living with his mother for years.
“I was just shocked someone over here was missing — and we see him. It’s shocking to everyone,” the anonymous neighbour said.
Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, claimed there was confusion by the neighbours and that the man they’ve been spending time with is her nephew, not Farias.
In 2018, members of Farias’ family reported seeing him being at a relative’s home, but when police arrived, they couldn’t find him — which meant that the missing persons case remained open.
Farias was just 17 years old when he vanished eight years ago while walking his dogs, but was found around last week by police who received reports of an unconscious person on the ground outside a church in Houston.
The discovery was reported on by the Texas Center for the Missing, which confirmed Farias was found in a tweet online, followed by a statement.
“We are happy to confirm Rudy Farias IV was located in Houston last week after being missing for eight years,” the centre wrote in a statement to local news outlets.
“When a loved one goes missing this is the day all families hope for and dream — REUNIFICATION. We are thankful that Rudy has been found and [is] receiving the care he needs.”
The missing teen’s mother Janie said in a statement that her son was “non-verbal” upon being found by police.
“My son Rudy is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is non-verbal and not able to communicate with us.”
“We are asking for privacy during this difficult time but will share more details as Rudy continues to heal,” Santana said in her statement.
Farias went missing on March 16, 2015, while walking his dogs.
One of the dogs returned several hours later without Farias, and the other the next day — but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Police said he might have been disoriented because he had stopped taking his medication for anxiety and depression.
We’ll keep updating this story as it evolves.
PEDESTRIAN.TV makes no comment about the correctness or otherwise of the allegations, only that they are being made publicly.
