Reports emerged this week that a missing Texas teen who is said to have vanished eight years ago was located alive and was safe. Neighbors of the family claim he was "never missing."
Rudy Farias was 17 when he disappeared after taking his two dogs for a walk, NBC News reported.
The dogs would later show up but there was no trace of Farias, NBC News noted, adding that the teen had battled depression after his older brother died in a motorcycle accident.
Efforts were locate Faris were unsuccessful, Tim Miller, director of the non-profit Texas EquuSearch, told KPRC-TV.
According to reports over the weekend, Farias had been found unresponsive outside of a church with cuts and bruises on his body and blood in his hair. The cause of his injuries remains uncertain, but his mother said she suspected abuse or assault.
But Kisha Ross, who lives on the same street as Rudy's mother, said she never heard that Farias was missing.
"He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son, and daughter," Ross told ABC 7, adding that Farias liked to spend time in the woods by himself. "That boy has never been missing."
Ross' cousin, Broderick Conley, shared a similar story, recalling how he would often spend time with Farias "laughing" and having "good times."
Another anonymous neighbor claimed that Farias had been living with his mother the whole time.
"I was just shocked someone over here was missing, and we see him," he said.
Farias' mother told ABC 7 that the neighbors were referring to her nephew, not her son, but when shown pictures of the nephew, the neighbors said they were not talking about the man in the images.
Farias was reunited with his family June 29. In a statement, his family said that "a good Samaritan located him unresponsive and immediately called police and 911."
The statement added that Farias is "receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is nonverbal and not able to communicate with us."
"We are asking for privacy during this difficult time but will share more details as Rudy continues to heal," his family said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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