On the evening of March 6th 2015, 17 year old Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV went out for a walk with his two dogs in Houston, but never returned home.
His two animals were located safely, but there was no sign of Rudy. His brother, his “best friend in the world” had passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2011, and Rudy had been struggling with depression, anxiety, and PTSD ever since. His mother believed that he had witnessed the death of his brother, and the grief had taken a toll on his mental and emotional wellbeing.
Private investigator Brenda Paradise was hired by the family shortly after his disappearance, and she and other investigators searched through “rain-soaked fields” but found no trace of Rudy. The Texas Center for the Missing even tweeted about his case as recently as June.
On Saturday, the organization made a celebratory post that Rudy had been located safe. He was found unconscious near a church, and covered in cuts and bruises with blood in his hair. His mother believes that he had been severely beaten and abused. Though he is in a bad physical state, she is just glad that he is alive.
The circumstances of his disappearance, his whereabouts the past eight years, and how he came to be at the church remain unknown. He is currently able to speak only a few words before he withdraws and curls up in the fetal position. Doctors and therapists are set to begin working with him soon.
Texas EquuSearch, which was also involved in the search for Rudy, is overjoyed by the news. Director Tim Miller stated that “We believe in miracles and this certainly was a miracle.”