Rudy Farias saga at an impasse after dramatic week of shocking discoveries and allegations
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- When Rudy Farias was found sleeping in front of the Immaculate Conception of Mary Church on June 29 of this year, it set off a chain of events that's transfixed Houston for the past week. Now, on July 7, the story is far from over, but it's clear that most of the initial details were false.
The story begins in northeast Houston on March 6, 2015, when Farias apparently never returned after walking the family dog. A day later, on March 7, Rudy's mom Janie Santana filed a missing person report. That's when the saga of Farias as a missing teen began.
In May 2017, billboards bearing Rudy's face were installed as part of National Missing Children's Day. At that time, his mother, Janie, spoke to ABC13 but didn't want her face shown.
"Someone out there knows something, anything," she said at the time while choking back tears. "I just want closure and not knowing - it's torture."
But what we didn't know then is that the Houston Police Department now believes Rudy was never actually missing for more than a day, returning home on March 8, 2015.
READ MORE: A timeline into the missing person case of Rudy Farias
Investigators say in the years that followed, mother and son had "numerous" interactions with patrol officers but gave false names and misled investigators.
For the next eight years, it appears most other family members thought he was still missing.
Then on June 29, Rudy was found outside the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. ABC13 obtained surveillance video showing the Houston Fire Department arriving at the church. That night, Rudy refused medical treatment and went with his mother. Even the Texas Center for the Missing initially believed the story that Rudy was somehow found.
"He's nonverbal at this time. That's why he's in the hospital at this time," a spokesman for the organization told ABC13's Brooke Taylor in an interview after Rudy was found. However, police would later state that Rudy was never at a hospital, and relatives alleged the hospital pictures shared by Rudy's mother with the media were actually taken in 2012.
Meanwhile, neighbors around where Rudy and his mother lived began to tell a different story. They said that they hung out with Rudy for years. Sometimes he would spend hours in their garage, chatting and telling stories.
Several neighbors told ABC13 that they found the entire incident "crazy" because the missing man Rudy was merely a neighbor they knew as Dolph.
This past Wednesday, HPD interviewed Rudy and Janie in Humble. Community activist Quanell X also talked to Rudy. But ultimately, no charges were filed against the mother because, at this point, investigators say there is no probable cause.
This means, for now, mother and son are free to do as they wish.
Janie was spotted driving around on Thursday, and Rudy is currently staying with friends at a Magnolia Park home.
Houston police say they will continue to investigate the case, and charges could be filed down the road if new evidence develops.
For news updates, follow Miya Shay on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
SEE PREVIOUS COVERAGE:
Neighbors shocked in Rudy Farias case, say he's been living with mom for years: 'We see him'
Man found alive 8 years after going missing was spotted by family in 2018, Houston police say
Man reported missing in 2015 is safe and with his mom by choice despite allegations against her: HPD
Aunt of missing man found 8 years later says nephew doesn't want to go back to his mom
