A Texas man reported missing as a teen in 2015 was gone for only a day, police say

HOUSTON — The case of a Texas man who was reported missing as a teenager in 2015 and found alive last week at a church took an unexpected turn Thursday when police revealed it all was a hoax — the man was only gone for a day, but he and his mother maintained the ruse for eight years by using false names.

Prosecutors did not file any charges against Janie Santana and her son, Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV, but the investigation is continuing, Houston police detectives said. They gave few other details about where they believe the case could lead.

The announcement came a week after police said they found Farias after receiving a call about a person lying on the ground in front of a southeast Houston church.

Authorities had not previously said where Farias spent the past eight years since he was reported missing as 17-year-old who took his two dogs for a walk near his family’s home in northeast Houston and never came back. Now 25, he was hospitalized after police found him last week, and detectives interviewed him and his mother on Wednesday.

“After investigators talked with him yesterday, it was discovered that Rudy returned home the following day on March 8, 2015,” Lt. Christopher Zamora said during a news conference. “The mother, Janie, continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing.”

After Farias was reported missing, Houston police and Texas Equusearch, a civilian search and recovery team, looked for him without success, although his dogs were later found.

In the years following, there were several possible sightings of Farias, according to a private investigator hired by the teen’s mother a few months after he went missing. They included one sighting in 2018 that police responded to, but the investigation remained open as a missing person case.

After police announced that Farias had been found, Santana released a statement saying, he “is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is nonverbal and not able to communicate with us.” She also asked for privacy.

Santana did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday.

Police Chief Troy Finner declined Thursday to answer questions about the mental health of Farias or his mother and would not say what might have motivated their actions. He said police are “right at the beginning” of their investigation into what happened.

Police also said patrol officers responded to a burglary call Wednesday night at the family’s home and that it is now part of their investigation.