Houston teen who went 'missing' for 8 years was kept by his mother as a sex slave, police say

A Texas man who went missing as a teenager and was found by police this week more than eight years later had never been missing in the first place, Houston police announced on Thursday as they continue to investigate the case. 

Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV was reported missing by his mother on March 6, 2015, when he was 17 years old. He was walking his two dogs in northwest Houston when he suddenly disappeared, leaving no trace behind. 

Last week, in what has been called a “miracle,” Farias was found unresponsive and covered with cuts and bruises in front of a church in Houston. His mother, Janie Santana, took her son to the hospital after telling police she thought her son had been kidnapped and sexually abused all these years. 

However, as police investigated the disappearance of the man and his whereabouts for the past eight years, they came across some disturbing information. 

During an interview with police on Wednesday, activist Quanell X said that Farias’ mother had sexually abused and drugged her son for years. 

"She would ask him to play daddy, she told him that he had to be the husband," Quanell X said.

The activist told police that Farias did indeed run away in 2015 when he was reported missing. However, he returned home two days later but his mother threatened him if he left the house again. 

"She convinced him that he was in trouble for initially running away, and that law enforcement wanted to arrest him and put him in jail for running away," Quanell X told reporters. "She had convinced him that all types of agencies were looking for him to put him in jail."

Sanatana’s neighbors confirmed the story, saying that they regularly saw Farias for years after his alleged disappearance. 

"He used to come into my garage, chill with my cousin, son, and daughter," neighbor Kisha Ross told the news station. "That boy has never been missing."

After years of abuse from his mother, Farias finally ran away again and ended up sleeping outside of the church where police found him this week. 

"I never heard of a mother doing to a child what this woman did," Quanell X said, according to KTRK. "That boy needs to go to the best drug rehab and best psychological, mental health facility we can find for him. He's a good kid. That kid was just severely abused."