A Texas man who was reported missing as a teenager in 2015 returned home the following day. However, both he and his mom deceived officers for eight years by giving false names.
Houston police confirmed that the prosecutors have declined to charge Janie Farias and her son with false reporting, but they are continuing their investigation.
The announcement came a week after police announced that they found Farias in response to a call about a person lying on the ground outside a church in southeast Houston.
Authorities had not previously said where Farias, now 25, spent the eight years since he was reported missing after taking his two dogs for a walk near his family’s home in northeast Houston. He was hospitalized after police found him last week and detectives interviewed him and his mother on Wednesday.
“After investigators spoke to him yesterday, they discovered that Rudy had returned home the following day, on March 8, 2015,” said Lt. Christopher Zamora at a press briefing.
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.
A private detective hired by Farias’ mother a few days after his disappearance said that Farias had been seen in the years following. The police responded to one of the sightings in 2018 but the case remained as a missing person.
Santana released a statement after hearing that police had located her child. She said he “receives the care required to overcome his trauma, but at this time is nonverbal.” ”
Police Chief Troy Finner declined Thursday to answer questions about the mental health of Farias or his mother and would not say what motivated their actions. He said police are “right at the beginning” of their investigation into what happened.
Police confirmed Wednesday night that officers from the patrol unit responded to a burglary alarm in a home and are currently investigating.
