(Houston) A Texas teenager who went missing in 2015 after he was last seen walking his dogs in Houston has been found alive, his family and police said Monday.
Police and firefighters located Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV around 10 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call from someone outside a church in southeast Houston, police spokesman John cannon.
He said authorities do not know where Mr. Farias has been for the past eight years. Police investigators had yet to speak with the now 25-year-old, who remains hospitalized.
“What we do know is that upon his recovery, a Good Samaritan found him unconscious and immediately called the police and 911. My son Rudy is getting the care he needs to get over his trauma, but right now he is non-verbal and unable to communicate with us,” Janie Santana, Farias’ mother, said in a statement.
In a Twitter post Monday afternoon, Houston police said they planned to speak with Mr. Farias and his family on Wednesday.
News of Rudolph Farias’ discovery was first reported on Twitter Saturday by the Texas Center’s Missing Persons Center, which was handling public communications on behalf of the missing person’s family.
“We know that when a loved one passes away, that’s the day all families hope and dream of – reunion. We are grateful that Rudy was found and received the care he needs,” the organization said in a statement Monday.
Mr. Farias was 17 when he was reported missing on March 6, 2015, while out walking his two dogs near his family’s home in northeast Houston. The dogs were later found.
Houston police, along with Texas Equusearch, a civilian search and recovery team, searched for Mr. Farias, but found no sign of him.
When Rudolph Farias first disappeared, Texas Equusearch reported that he was suffering from depression and anxiety, and that he may have been disoriented because he was not taking his medication. Mr. Farias also suffered from asthma and limped slightly due to an injured right leg.
“According to his mother, he is very suspicious of strangers,” Texas Equusearch said in 2015.
Mr Cannon said the Farias family reported to police investigators that they saw him in September 2018 staying behind a relative’s house.
Police investigators had followed that lead from 2018 and visited the parent’s home. But “they couldn’t observe it. They couldn’t locate him,” Mr. Cannon said.
Since police were unable to locate Ms Farias after the 2018 sighting, the investigation remained open as a missing person case, Mr Cannon said.
Mme Santana and other family members were unavailable for comment on Monday.
“We ask for confidentiality during this difficult time, but we will share more details as Rudy continues to heal,” said M.me Santana in his press release.