The unusual case of Rudy Farias and where he is now 1 year after he was found

Farias was reported missing for 8 years but was actually living with his mother

Rudy Farias' bizarre story is one that swept the nation. 

The details of what happened to Farias have been scarce since his discovery. He and his mother have both stayed out of the spotlight, sharing very little about what happened during those eight years. 

The story starts on March 7, 2015. The day that Farias allegedly went missing. His mother, Janie Santana, told Houston police that her son went on a walk and never returned. He was 17 years old at the time. 

Rudy Farias was revealed to be living with his mother over the span of time he was thought to be missing. (Texas Center for the Missing)

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Farias was found injured eight years later outside a church in southeast Houston on June 29, 2023. According to Houston police investigators, Farias returned to his home the day after he had gone missing, per ABC13 Houston. 

"What we do know is at the time of his recovery, a good Samaritan located him unresponsive and immediately called police and 911," his mother said in a statement released after he was found. "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."

During a press conference on July 6, 2023, police said both Santana and Farias gave fake names in the interactions they had with various officers over the years. 

Farias' public comments have been slim to none since the day he was found outside the church, but he has revealed select details of what was happening over the eight years when he was thought to be missing. 

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"She never locked me in or handcuffed me or anything like that," Farias said, per ABC13 Houston. "I had free will to leave. It just felt like brainwashing me. It just kept confusing me, the way she would manipulate me into saying, 'You're going to get arrested.'"

There have been multiple allegations of Farias being sexually abused by Santana during this eight-year period. These allegations have come from his family members, as well as Houston community activist Quanell X, who claimed that in the presence of a detective, Farias reported the abuse, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

Police said that there were no reports of sexual abuse made by Farias, per ABC13 Houston. 

On July 6, 2023, there was a conference with Houston police detailing information on the Rudy Farias case.  (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Farias himself has also addressed these claims, saying that while boundaries were crossed, he was never sexually assaulted. 

"I used to have to sleep in her bed sometimes. I don’t remember why. Boundaries, she would push or make me uncomfortable, and I would say stop, and she was like, ‘Well, why, why, why? I didn’t do anything wrong. So, I would just be like OK, OK," Farias told ABC13 Houston. 

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"She locked me in there pretty much, mentally," Farias said per the outlet. "She was my only parent, the only person I really ever had besides my brother. When I lost my brother, I didn't have anyone to teach me how to live or to have confidence or trust in myself. So, I depended on my mom all my life."

In 2011, Farias' half-brother died in a motorcycle crash, according to ABC13 Houston. A few years later, in 2014, his father, who was an officer with the Houston Police Department, took his own life. 

During the time he was in isolation, he was hidden from the public, even when his family was over to visit. 

"I would have to listen to my family be happy and cheerful on the other side of a door, and I would be like, 'I want my family. I want people. I just want communication,'" Farias said, per ABC13 Houston. "It's like I lived in prison. It's like I lived in a jail my whole life. I just wanted to be free. I wanted to have my own job. I just wanted to live my life. I just wanted to love somebody, have someone else that would actually love me. I struggled to understand my emotions."

Many neighbors claimed to have seen Farias in the years he was allegedly missing, according to FOX26. 

Texas man Rudy Farias remained a missing person for eight years, but Houston police determined that he'd actually been living with his mother. (FOX26)

Developments in Farias' story have been minimal in the past year since he has been found, but he has expressed his desire to live a normal and happy life.

"I just want to live my life. I want to have a family, a car, a house. I just want to live my life and be happy," Farias said, per ABC13 Houston. 

According to the source, he no longer lives with his mother and doesn't want contact with her.