Eight years after a 17-year-old went missing in northwest Houston, a Houston family received miraculous news over the weekend. There are still unanswered questions regarding where he had been hiding out for all those years, and the mystery surrounding his reappearance is currently generating national news.
When did Rudolph Farias IV go missing?
According to a brochure about missing people released by the Texas Centre for the Missing, Rudolph "Rudy" Farias IV has been missing since March 6, 2015. A police spokesperson said that the Houston Police responded to the church in east Houston after receiving a call for assistance on June 29, 2023, and later confirmed that the person was Farias. He is now 25 years old and is recovering in the hospital.
How and where was Rudy found?
On March 6, 2015, Farias, then 17 years old, was strolling his two dogs close to Tidwell and Park Drive. After his dogs were rescued, his family reported Farias missing, but he was never located. Authorities reported that Farias had been given a depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis in 2015. Since the death of his half-brother in a motorbike accident in 2011, his mother claimed he has struggled with despair and anxiety. Texas EquuSearch started asking for assistance in locating him, adding that he might be confused as he hadn't been taking his medication. The authorities along with searchers looked for Farias in the rain-soaked fields and then ended the search on March 13, 2015.
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Officers at HPD received a call from Farias' family in September 2018 when they discovered that he was residing behind a family's house. When authorities came, they were unable to locate the missing man. Houston police report that Farias was discovered at the church near 76th and Avenue K in Magnolia Park on Thursday, June 29 shortly after 12 a.m., nearly eight years after his initial disappearance. Someone was found sleeping outside the church's front doors, a caller reported to the authorities. According to HPD, they were able to get in touch with Farias' family since he was carrying a piece of identification belonging to a family member.
He was discovered with bruises and cuts all over his body as well as blood in his hair, and it is believed that he was severely abused and battered. On Sunday, Farias' mother stated that despite their efforts to communicate with him, he only responds with a few phrases before curling up in a fetal posture. She acknowledged that the road to recovery will be difficult, but she is grateful that her son is alive.