Activist insists Rudy Farias was abused by mother after Houston police denial – latest update

Rudy Farias returned home the day after he went missing in 2015, and despite “numerous” false statements being made to police no criminal charges are currently planned, the Houston police have said.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told a press conference on Thursday that police interviews with Mr Farias and his mother Janie Santana on Wednesday had found no evidence of sexual or abuse during the eight years he was supposedly missing, despite claims by a counsellor who sat in on a police interview with Mr Farias on Wednesday.

Mr Farias, 25, was reported missing in March 2015, and an open police investigation into his disappearance continued until his mother Ms Santana said he had been discovered outside a church in Houston, Texas on 29 June.

However, Houston police said both Mr Farias and Ms Santana had claimed he was her nephew when interviewed by police.

Quanell X, the community activist and counsellor who first aired allegations that Mr Farias was abused by his mother Janie Santana, has doubled down on those claims after they were denied by police.

“I believe that Rudy is absolutely a victim,” Quanell X told The Independent’s Sheila Flynn shortly after Houston police said Mr Farias is not considered a victim at Thursday’s press conference.

He went on to repeat claims he made to reporters the day before after sitting in on a meeting between Mr Farias and detectives.

In that meeting, Quanell X claimed Mr Farias said he was hidden in his mother’s home and subjected to abuse for eight years after she reported him missing.

Police maintain that Mr Farias did not report abuse in the meeting, but did confirm that Mr Farias was never actually missing.

Speaking to The Independent, Quanell X accused police of “trying to hide from conducting a shady sham investigation”.

“It’s all confusing as hell to me now,” he said.

After investigators in Houston revealed that Rudy Farias was never missing and contradicted previous abuse allegations, reporters shot questions at officials during a press conference.

However, authorities were unable to answer many of the pressing questions due to the investigation being ongoing.

Houston police chief Troy Finner told reporters that “Our investigation is our investigation” and “We treat it the same, everybody has a role in society and we respect everybody including our activist but the integrity of the investigation.”

A Texas man, who reportedly vanished eight years ago and was recently found, was never actually missing, neighbours have claimed.

Authorities in the Houston Police Department said Rudy Farias did not make statements related to sexual abuse allegations while speaking with investigators this past week.

Police chief Troy Finner said he could not go into detail about the discussion he had with Mr Farias due to the active investigation but that no statements related to that were made.

In a bombshell allegation, local activist and counsellor Quanell X claimed Mr Farias told him and investigators that he had was allegedly drugged and abused by his mother.

Police did not outrightly dispute Quanell X’s claims but also did not confirm them.

Houston police confirmed that 25-year-old Rudy Farias was not missing for the eight years his mother claimed he was but said the Houston district attorney declined to pursue charges against Jamie Santana.

Ms Santana could have been charged with “making fictitious reports” or “failure to ID” but the DA chose not to make those charges.

Police could not offer a possible motive behind why Ms Santana claimed her son was missing when he was not.

In a press conference on Thursday, investigators in the Houston Police Department confirmed that Rudy Farias was never missing and returned home the day after he was declared missing.

One investigator said over the course of eight years Mr Farias was “missing” investigators made multiple contacts with his mother, Janie Santana, and Mr Farias they were not honest about Mr Farias’ identity.

Ms Santana told investigators that Mr Farias was her nephew which police “disputed” and both Mr Farias and Ms Santana gave authorities a fake name.

Several private investigators who were tasked with looking into Rudy Farias’ sudden disappearance said they were skeptical of the story.

Brenda Paradise, an investigator who has been following the case for years told Insider that “something doesn’t add up.

Paradise worked on Mr Farias’ case when he originally went “missing” in 2015 as part of a network of search and rescue volunteers.

She said for years there were allegations that Mr Farias was seen in the neighbourhood.

“There’s something dark and dirty here,” Ms Paradise said.

The investigator alleges that Mr Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, initially gave investigators Mr Farias’ incorrect birth date and refused to provide recent photos of her son.

Ms Paradise claims Mr Farias was 18 years old when he went missing, not 17.