When Rudy Farias appeared in front of a church in Houston, Texas, last week, eight years after his mother reported him missing, the country celebrated it as a miracle.
But soon, questions began to arise about the bizarre allegations surrounding the now 25-year-old’s disappearance, which neighbors and a community activist say never happened at all.
Rudy and his mother Janie Santana finally sat down with investigators and mediator Quanell X to give their side of the story Wednesday, and what emerged after the meeting shocked the nation.
Quanell told reporters that Rudy claimed his mother had sexually abused and hidden him for the past eight years, saying she made him sleep in bed with her while she was naked and “made him play daddy.”
As the public awaits answers from Houston authorities, scheduled to speak to reporters on Thursday morning, DailyMail.com takes a look at the unanswered questions in the case.
Rudy Farias, was reported missing in 2015 and was allegedly found last week. But his neighbors say that he was never missing at all.
Those who followed the case were shocked to learn that Rudy left with his mother on Wednesday after meeting with investigators.
Santana was not arrested after Quanell told the press the horrific allegations that Rudy allegedly confessed to him.
WHERE IS JANIE SANTANA NOW?
Santana was not arrested after Quanell told the press about the horrifying accusations Rudy allegedly confessed to him.
The mother and son were photographed leaving the hotel and apparently went home together after speaking with police.
Police have declined to give any further information about why she was not arrested and are expected to answer questions at 11 a.m. EST.
WHY WAS RUDY LEFT WITH HIS MOM AFTER HER REPORTED ABUSE ALLEGATIONS?
Those who followed the case were shocked to learn that Rudy left with his mother on Wednesday after meeting with investigators.
However, a A neighbor has since told KHOU11 that Janie Santana was seen leaving her home in the early hours of Thursday morning, prompting the local resident to call 911.
As a result, there was a heavy police presence outside the house this morning.
It was not immediately clear Thursday morning if Santana and her son are at their Houston home.
WHO WAS RUDY’S BROTHER AND HOW DID HE DIED?
Rudy Farias, now 25, was just 13 years old when his older brother and ‘best friend’ Charles died in the tragic traffic accident.
Charles died in a motorcycle accident on February 13, 2011. The young teen and his mother Janie were two of the first people to arrive at the scene of the accident, and Rudy watched Charles die in front of him, according to the family.
“So much has been thrown at him in the last few years,” Brenda Paradise, a private detective who was investigating Rudy’s disappearance, told Dateline in 2015.
He watched his best friend die in front of him. His brother was his best friend in the world. She’s just been through so much more than anyone her age should.
WHO WAS RUDY’S FATHER AND HOW DID HE DIED?
Rudolph Farias IV, 52, who had been a police officer for 21 years, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a police parking lot outside downtown Houston, My Sanantonio reported at the time. He was still in uniform and on patrol at the time.
A day before his death, Farias, who had been married to Janie for 17 years, had been relieved of police duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation into allegations that he and three other officers had been involved in an alleged fine issuance plan.
The four officers were charged with listing each other as traffic ticket officer witnesses in an attempt to collect overtime by appearing in court to testify.
Devastated by the loss of her brother and father, Rudy’s mother claimed that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety.
A missing persons flier from the time said the grieving teen had attempted suicide before disappearing while walking his two dogs around the block in East Houston.
WAS MONEY DONATED TO RUDY’S FAMILY AFTER HIS ALLEGED DISAPPEARANCE?
Four private investigators who worked on Rudy’s disappearance spoke to Insider and expressed concern about Santana’s fundraising efforts over the years.
Ryan Grayson said there were many red flags with the Santana story, including false claims that a woman was holding Rudy in Mexico.
There were fundraisers for Rudy’s search, but according to Grayson, Santana
“He was late for the fundraiser,” he claimed. “And she didn’t go to say hello to any of the people who were donating money or at the fundraiser.”
Also, a GoFundMe account set up for medical costs after Rudy was found at church was taken down after people started questioning Santana.
WHY DID RUDY’S FAMILY AND NEIGHBORS NOT INTERVENE IF THEY KNEW HE WAS NOT LOST?
Rudy’s neighbors have said that he never disappeared, leading many to wonder why no one contacted authorities regarding the false missing persons report.
“I used to come to my garage, relax with my cousin, my son and my daughter,” said neighbor Kisha Ross..
Ross claimed that despite billboards around Houston with Rudy’s photos, he had never heard that Rudy, whom he knew as Dolph, was missing, so that would explain why he never contacted the police.
Meanwhile, a cousin of Rudy’s said she contacted police in 2018 to report that Rudy had been staying “behind a residence,” but when police showed up, Rudy was not found.
In addition, Farias’s cousin said she told police in 2018 that he was at his mother’s house and that his grandmother had seen him and talked to him. The boy’s aunt said that she also knew that he was not missing.
Cassandra López, her cousin, told her KPRC 2 they always knew ‘in our hearts’ that the story of Farias’ disappearance was not true.
She said: ‘I was in shock. I was like, I couldn’t believe it. I mean, I was glad, but I was wondering what would develop from that.
‘Like, what was the story behind this going to be? Because it’s just that in our hearts we always knew that he wasn’t really lost.
