July 04, 2023
Rudolph "Rudy" Farias IV was just seventeen years old when he went missing from Houston, Texas on March 6, 2015.
The teenager was out one day walking his dogs near Tidwell and Park Drive, Northwest Houston, when they returned home without him.
Rudy was suffering from PTSD, Depression and Asthma at the time he went missing. He had lost his brother in a motorcycle accident in 2011 and was also struggling with the recent loss of his father, a former Houston Police Officer.
The teen was wearing his brothers necklace when he went missing, and would not been seen without it. According to media reports at the time, Farias had been neglecting to take his regular medication. Authorities searched for the teen for several days, with the search ending on March 12, 2015, resulting in no sign of Farias or clues to what happened.
A missing person poster was compiled and circulated, but lead to no clues pertaining to the teenagers whereabouts. He described on the poster at the time as being 5"8 with brown hair and eyes, Hispanic with a fair complexion, weighing around 200lbs.
On Missing Persons Day in Houston Texas in 2017, Rudy Farias' uncle described Rudy as a "shy and reserved young man, very soft spoken with a wonderful heart," and described how the missing teenager was at the helm of a program that brought awareness to the issue of motorcycle safety on the road. He added that Rudy had the support of his family and loved ones to help him through his tough times and were concerned for his well-being and condition.
Brenda Paradise, a private investigator the Farias family hired after Rudy went missing said: “He’s just had so much thrown at him the past few years, “He watched his best friend die right in front of him. His brother was his best friend in the world. He’s just gone through so much more than anyone his age ever should.”
According to the Texas Centre for the missing, in 2022 alone, 546,568 missing persons, 340,573 of which were children under the age of 18, were entered in the NCIC missing person database. In Texas specifically, there were 47,670 people reported missing, 34,828 of which were children. In 2020, the largest number of missing children in the U.S were reported to be between the ages of 15 – 17.
Statistically, the majority of missing children, 80% and over, tend to be runaways, with 10-15% being abducted by their own family members- situations that are often dangerous to the child. Non-family abductions (3-4%) and Stranger Abductions (less than 1%) are rarer, however, still happen and usually result in death or injury.
Although the majority of runaways tend to return, a number of children do not, and for eight years, Rudolph "Rudy" Farias IV was one of them. Miraculously, Rudy, now 25-years-old, was found alive in early July of 2023. A civilian found Rudy Farias unresponsive, or sleeping, outside of a church and called 911 for assistance. An item with the identifying details of one of Farias’ family members was found on his person, aiding police in discovering his identity and being able to contact his parents.
When discovered, the young man was still wearing his brothers necklace around his neck, just as he had been eight years ago when he went missing.
Texas EquuSearch Director, Tim Miller, called Rudy's recover "a miracle." Miller said: "I can't even tell you how many times we searched and how many leads and tips came in, and then they just kind of faded away and we heard nothing...and then all of a sudden this."
Miller added: "At the very beginning, I met with the family and detectives out there by his house where he disappeared, and we found a backpack. We actually talked to someone who had one of the catering trucks and they said they saw him and stuff...then there were different possible sightings in different places...I think now there's a lot of questions, a lot of investigation to see what happened, how it happened..."
The Texas Centre for the missing posted a tweet that read: "Update: 7/1/23-- After 8 long years, Rudy has been located safe. Please continue to keep his family in your prayers as Rudy recovers in the hospital."
According to Farias’ mother, he is currently in the hospital and has "a long journey ahead of him,
both emotionally and physically." Farias ‘s mother shared pictures of him in the hospital with ABC13 reporter, Brooke Taylor, showing what appeared to be injuries in the form of cuts and bruises all over his body, and said that there was blood in his hair. Images of the young man sleeping in a hospital bed were played over a segment about his return, and descriptions of abuse and beatings possibly suffered by Rudy were shared in the report. He is expected to meet with doctors and mental health professionals in the coming days.
Farias mother added that he had not been able to speak much about where he had been, and was only able to share a few words before mentally shutting down and curling up into a defensive position.
Although happy to have her son back alive, Farias’ mother has no idea what the 25-year-old has been through in the eight years since he went missing, and hopes she will get answers in the coming days.
UPDATE: At the time of writing, there have been additional details revealed, alleging Farias was never actually missing. Updates coming this Tuesday.
Click HERE<< to read the update post
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