HOUSTON — A 25-year-old man, who was reportedly missing eight years ago, was never truly missing and has been living with his mother for most of this time, authorities said Thursday.
Rudy Farias made national headlines over the weekend when it was reported that he had been «safely located» in Houston after a year-long search.
He was reported missing to police on March 7, 2015, but returned home a day later, Houston police revealed Thursday.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said he doesn’t know why Farias’ mother allegedly maintained that her son, then 17, had been missing all this time.
«We can’t predict the motivation,» Finner told reporters.
Farias was found last week at a church about 8 miles from his family’s home, according to an investigator with Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search and rescue service, which helped search for Farias.
He did not speak and could not 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 attributed in large part to the Texas Center for the Missing (TCM), a nonprofit agency that helps families whose loved ones have mysteriously disappeared.
A TCM representative told NBC News Wednesday that the group was relying on reports 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, Kisha Ross, 44, of Houston, said she recognized the young man listed as a missing person as her neighbor two houses down.
Farias is a regular visitor to her home, Ross said, to socialize with her son, daughter and cousin.
The young man, known as «Dolph» to her and her family, is close to his mother, who works for a private security firm, Ross said. He once even handled the Ross family’s job applications if they ever wanted to apply to work at her mother’s company.
And if Farias was ever missing, it was last week, when he allegedly took his mother’s car and she didn’t know where it was, the neighbor said.
«He left in his car and she had no way to get to work,» Ross said. «She texted my cousin and said, ‘Have you seen my son?’ My cousin said, ‘No’.»
This is a developing story. Please check for updates.
Deon J. Hampton reported from Houston and David K. Li from New York City.