Mum of man found after ‘missing for eight years’ deceived cops as he lived with her the whole time
The mother of a man who was found after being considered a missing teenager eight years ago deceived police while her son lived with her the entire time.
Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Farias IV, 25, returned to his home on March 8, 2015, a day after he was reported missing at age 17, said Houston police Lt Christopher Zamora on Thursday.
Police disclosed the findings of their investigation four days after the Texas Center for the Missing announced that Farias had ‘located safe’ outside a church after last being seen walking his dogs and never returning home.
Farias and his mother, Janie Santana, gave police fake names and dates of birth, said Zamora.
‘Both Janie, Rudy’s mother, and Rudy himself gave fictitious names while interacting with various patrol officers,’ he said. ‘Janie continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing.’
Over the eight years, police received leads and tips stating that Farias was in fact not missing.
‘Many of these facts included contact and statements with relatives, friends and medical professionals,’ Zamora said.
Police interviewed the mother and son on Wednesday. On Thursday, Zamora said that Farias was voluntarily living with his mother in Houston.
Santana has claimed that family and friends who said Farias was not missing were actually seeing her nephew around the house. But police said that was false.
The district attorney ‘has declined any charges at this time for making fictitious reports and failure to ID’, said Zamora. He added that ‘the investigation is active, and there are new leads coming in. We’ll continue to follow those leads’.
Texas Center for the Missing on Sunday had shared a statement from Farias’ family that read: ‘We want to thank the media and public for all their support. My son Rudy Farias IV was found on Thursday, June 29, after being missing for eight years.
‘My son Rudy is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is nonverbal 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.’
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