HOUSTON — A 25-year-old man, who allegedly disappeared eight years ago, was never really missing and has been living with his mother almost this whole time, authorities said Thursday.
Rudy Farias made national headlines over the weekend when it was reported he had been “located safe” in Houston after a yearslong search.
He was reported missing to police on March 7, 2015, but came home one day later, Houston police disclosed on Thursday.
Houston police Chief Troy Finner said he doesn’t know why Farias’ mother allegedly maintained that her son, then 17, was missing all of this time.
“We can’t predict motivation,” Finner told reporters.
Farias was found last week at a church roughly 8 miles from his family’s home, according to an investigator with Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search-and-rescue service, who helped search for Farias.
He was nonverbal and unable to communicate, his mother said in a statement, adding that a good Samaritan discovered him and immediately called authorities.
Farias’ status as a missing person has been largely attributed to the Texas Center for the Missing (TCM), a nonprofit agency that helps families whose loved ones have mysteriously vanished.
A TCM rep told NBC News on Wednesday that the group relies on self-reporting from families and did not know if Farias’ loved ones had reported the young man’s alleged disappearance to police.
As soon as Farias’ recovery was detailed in local news reports, Houston resident Kisha Ross, 44, said she recognized the young man being cast as a missing person as her neighbor from two doors down the block.
Farias is a regular visitor to her house, Ross said, to socialize with her son, daughter and cousin.
The young man, known as “Dolph” to she and her family, is close to his mother, who works in a private security firm, Ross said. He once even brought Ross’ family job applications if they ever wanted to apply to work at the mom’s company.
And if Farias was missing for any time, it was last week, when he allegedly took his mother’s car and she didn’t know where he was, the neighbor said.
“He left in her car and she didn’t have a way to get to work,” Ross said. “She texted my cousin and said ‘Have you seen my son?’ My cousin was like, ‘No.’ ”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Deon J. Hampton reported from Houston and David K. Li from New York City.
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