Man falsely reported missing for 8 years breaks silence.

Ashe SchowJuly 14, 2023

A Houston Man’s Ordeal: Missing but Never Really Missing

Rudolph “Rudy” Farias, a Houston man who was reported missing in 2015 but was never truly missing, has finally shared his story.

At the age of 17, Farias’ mother reported him missing, although he had actually returned home the very next day. However, for the next eight years, his mother continued to insist that he was missing and even introduced him as her nephew when they were in public.

Now 25 years old, Farias has broken his silence since being discovered sleeping outside a church, which sparked numerous news articles about the “missing” man found after eight years. In an interview with Fox 26 Houston, Farias revealed that he felt like he had been living in a prison during those long years.

“I just wanted to be free. I just wanted to live my life,” Farias expressed. “It feels like I’m just at peace now. Just feels happy, you know?”

Not only did Farias pretend to be his mother’s nephew, but he also disclosed that she manipulated him into believing he would be arrested for a speeding ticket if he revealed the truth. He described this manipulation as a form of brainwashing.

“She would manipulate me into saying I would get arrested for a speeding ticket,” he told Fox 26. “It just felt like brainwashing, honestly.”

Farias admitted that he could have left at any time, but he felt trapped and manipulated, comparing his situation to Stockholm Syndrome. He shared that whenever family or friends visited his mother’s house, he was forced to hide and believed that his mother was the only person he could trust.

“I was stuck at home,” Farias said. “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.”

During this time, Farias had to listen to his loved ones outside, pretending to be happy and cheerful while feeling trapped behind a closed door.

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

Farias also hinted at the possibility of his mother sexually abusing him during those eight years, although he clarified that she never forced herself on him. He described the uncomfortable situations he experienced.

“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,” he told Fox 26.

Last Thursday, Houston police Lt. Christopher Zamora revealed that Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, had lied about him being missing. Police had encountered Farias multiple times during those eight years, but both he and his mother provided false information about his identity.

“During these contacts, fictitious names and dates of birth were given, misleading the officers,” Zamora explained. “In fact, both Janie, Rudy’s mother, and Rudy himself gave fictitious names while interacting with various patrol officers.”

Despite these revelations, no charges have been filed against Santana by the police.