Photo: Texas Center for Missing Children
Authorities in Texas said that the man who was reported missing eight years ago was with his mother the entire time.
Rudolph "Rudy" Farias IV was reported missing by his mother, Janie Santana, in March 2015 after he vanished while walking the family's dog. While Santana claimed he never returned, police said the teen returned home the next day. They said that the pair used fictitious names and dates of birth to fool investigators.
Previously, neighbors raised questions about Rudy's alleged disappearance, claiming they had no idea the boy was ever missing.
"He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son, and daughter," Kisha Ross told KTRK. "That boy has never been missing."
Ross's cousin, Broderick Conley, told the news station they knew him as Dolph, short for Rudolph. Conley said that Dolph would come by often but noted he hadn't been around for the past few weeks.
When Rudy was found, he had cuts and bruises but refused to be transported to the hospital and was released to his family.
Santana told the news station that her son was injured and suggested he was abused by whoever kidnapped him. When asked about claims by her neighbors that Rudy wasn't missing, Santana said that Dolph was her nephew. While she shared a picture of her nephew, neighbors said the man in the photograph was not the same man who had been hanging around the neighborhood for the past eight years.
"I do not know. That's what I have been trying to figure out all day," Ross said. "I am confused right now. I am like, 'What's going on?'"
Authorities have declined to file charges against Santana at this time but said that the investigation remains active.