Teen who went missing walking dogs found alive eight years later with cuts and bruises
A teenage boy who went missing while walking his dogs eight years has been found alive with cuts and bruises and in ‘bad shape’.
Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Farias IV was last seen on March 6, 2015, at the age of 18. He was walking his dogs near Tidwell and CE King in northeast Houston in the evening.
‘His dogs were recovered; however, Rudy has not been located,’ according to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
On Sunday, the Texas Center for the Missing tweeted that Farias ‘has been located safe’. He is now 26 years old.
‘Please continue to keep his family in your prayers as Rudy recovers in the hospital,’ wrote the organization.
Farias’ mother said that Good Samaritans saw her son outside a church and called 911.
He was in ‘bad shape’ both physically and mentally, the mother told KPRC 2. Farias had bruises, scrapes and burns.
The mother shared images of Farias in a hospital bed with KTRK. She said he had blood in his hair and had been beaten and abused.
Farias was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, authorities said in 2015. During efforts to locate Farias, Texas EquuSearch said that he had not been taking his medication and could be disoriented.
His mother told KTRK that she has tried speaking to him but that he only says a few words and gets into a fetal position. She is thankful he is alive and recovering.
‘How did this happen? We believe in miracles, and this certainly was a miracle,’ Texas EquuSearch director Tim Miller told KPRC 2.
‘I can’t even tell you how many times we searched and how many leads and tips came in and they just kind of faded away and now all of a sudden, this.’
Police have not disclosed what may have led to Faris’ disappearance. Foul play was not suspected at the time.
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