Found Alive TX - Rudolph 'Rudy' Farias, 17, Houston, 6 March 2015 *found in 2023* #2

[Ontario Mom]

idk about the family but according to the article:
"I talked to the investigator that has been over this case for years, she told me things that she said she reported to HPD over the years, and she wanted HPD to investigate the mother, she told them she thought the mother was involved," said Quanell X."

Right, and if true, there will be paperwork, if any actual police reports were filed.
Otherwise, without receipts, it's just someone's word against someone else's word.

jmo

 

[SherryLock]

Do we know beyond guesswork that Rudy lived with his mother for the whole past eight years? It seems that's what we're going with but imo accounts of him have been sporadic and largely without a time period stated, or else recent.

 

[cenazoic]

This is neither here nor there, but it always strikes me as strange when some previously un-associated person suddenly appears on the scene as the confidant and spokesperson for someone else.

But why would the HPD cover this up and why also would they not want any of this to come out?

Right. The tough thing about conspiracy theories is that sometimes they’re true! But those have discernible motives, unlike in this case (as far as we know, anyway.)

 

[Inthedetails]

idk about the family but according to the article:
"I talked to the investigator that has been over this case for years, she told me things that she said she reported to HPD over the years, and she wanted HPD to investigate the mother, she told them she thought the mother was involved," said Quanell X."

I have a son over age 18. Let's say I report him missing, but it turns out he wasn't really missing. Over the years, people tell LE he is not missing but living with me, his mom. Would LE really care? Seriously, I don't think they would care that much, without evidence of a crime other than a false missing-person report from year's past.

(This does not mean I don't think the mom raised her son in an abusive way as I totally think she did, with all her lies and perhaps worse.)

jmo

 

[SherryLock]

I have a son over age 18. Let's say I report him missing, but it turns out he wasn't really missing. Over the years, people tell LE he is not missing but living with me, his mom. Would LE really care? Seriously, I don't think they would care that much, without evidence of a crime other than a false missing-person report from year's past.

(This does not mean I don't think the mom raised her son in an abusive way as I totally think she did, with all her lies and perhaps worse.)

jmo

I agree. I'd think it's more likely that LE checked out the reported issue they were called about each time, found nothing, then went on to their next call. There are limits to what they can reasonably do.

For ex., I called the police a few months ago because my neighbors were fighting in a way that sounded very violent and dangerous. LE came out but the couple quieted down and hid and would not answer the door. LE shined their flashlight in the windows and kept trying for a while, but eventually left.

I'm sure there could have been a big uproar about how LE was incompetent or criminally involved or whatever if one of them had killed the other. But in reality, they have protocol, rules and laws to follow and they can't go breaking people's doors down without sufficient cause at the time nor spend all night on one call. Also, LE is not allowed to defend any public criticism against them. The higher ups decide all that. So I give them benefit of doubt, personally.

 

[HMSHood]

I wonder if neighbors saw any sign of abuse in Rudy Farias.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

In an interview with Fox 7, Farias' cousin Michelle Rodriguez alleged that police "are covering up what they knew years ago, and they didn't want to come out."

Rodriguez said: "Prior to Rudy's disappearance, his so-called disappearance, his mother had been seen by my late grandma causing abuse to Rudy sexually, physically, mentally. This did not just start when Janie reported Rudy missing."

She added: "Janie needs to be brought in."

Farias' aunt, Pauline Sanchez Rodriguez, told reporters outside Houston police headquarters on Thursday that Santana is a "liar."

She said Santana, identified by local media outlets as her step-sister, "knows a lot of people" in the police department and "that's why her freaking *advertiser censored** has been covered up."

Family of Rudy Farias Make Fresh Allegations Against Mother

Police "are covering up what they knew years ago, and they didn't want to come out," Farias' cousin Michelle Rodriguez claimed.

www.newsweek.com

Rudy Farias’ mother once claimed that her son had been kidnapped by human traffickers while she was actually hiding him in her own home, according to a private investigator.

Brenda Paradise told The Independent she devoted hundreds of hours to finding Mr Farias but grew suspicious of his mother Janie Santana.

While claiming her son was missing, Ms Paradise said that Ms Santana repeatedly asked for money on her Facebook pages to help track him down.

Once, she asked for money to pay a ransom to a suspected human trafficker in Tijuana, Mexico, who she falsely claimed had kidnapped Mr Farias. She even went to a morgue to identify a deceased body, Ms Paradise said.

Rudy Farias’ mother ‘claimed he was kidnapped by human traffickers’

Private investigator told The Independent she grew suspicious of Janie Santana after devoting hundreds of hours to finding Rudy Farias

www.independent.co.uk

 

[shadwell]

Following an interview with detectives, community activist Quanell X, who was in the meeting, claimed that Mr Farias had alleged alarming abuse by his mother. The activist's claims were then confusingly shut down by police, after which he doubled down in an interview with The Independent.

Prosecutors have declined to bring charges against Ms Santana for lying. The decision was condemned by other relatives, with one of her sisters accusing police of a “cover-up”.

An investigation is ongoing as numerous questions remain around the case.

Rudy Farias ‘plans to avoid mother’ as abuse claims swirl – latest update​

Not entirely sure which article you are quoting here, but going back to the original QX on-camera interview outside the hotel, my understanding was that RF made the allegations to QX while an HPD detective was present in the room, but not part of the conversation. Thus, HPD was technically correct in saying that no claims or allegations had been made directly to them by RF.

IMO this was a carefully chosen form of words, designed to avoid making any comment in an ongoing investigation.

 

[Inthedetails]

Assuming for a moment that the mom's crimes are "only" scams to earn money and the amount of money she actually scammed is rather petty, I still hope LE prosecutes. It might seem like small potatoes to them, but if they don't pursue a high-profile case, it does give the appearance that scams are acceptable in Houston.

jmo

 

[Ontario Mom]

Not entirely sure which article you are quoting here, but going back to the original QX on-camera interview outside the hotel, my understanding was that RF made the allegations to QX while an HPD detective was present in the room, but not part of the conversation. Thus, HPD was technically correct in saying that no claims or allegations had been made directly to them by RF.

IMO this was a carefully chosen form of words, designed to avoid making any comment in an ongoing investigation.

I suspected it was something along those lines, since it's common knowledge for anyone following true crime that sensitive details of an investigation are NEVER released to the public while it's still an ongoing investigation.

I have zero doubt Quannell X knows this as well, considering his very public previous interactions with LE and LE investigations.

jmo

 

[MistyWaters]

Assuming for a moment that the mom's crimes are "only" scams to earn money and the amount of money she actually scammed is rather petty, I still hope LE prosecutes. It might seem like small potatoes to them, but if they don't pursue a high-profile case, it does give the appearance that scams are acceptable in Houston.

jmo

I’d think it would dependent upon Rudy‘s admission whether or not he was ever missing. But then comes the question, if he knew he was reported to be missing but agreed to hide himself and/or use a false identity, was he complicit in the false reporting, otherwise what was the reason he didn’t contact police or reach out to anyone? So what if Rudy, into his adult years, just went along with the scam? If so, should he be charged too? Or would it be preferable for LE let it be.

 

[Googlebutts]

Well this one sure blew up and went off the rails. I only found the case maybe three days before he was found

 

[formerlyme]

I had been thinking that maybe the mother was afraid of losing Rudy, (all abuse reports aside) and hid him from the world to "keep him" but I just can't wrap my head around this case, hoping for more solid info....

 

[x_files]

I'm curious to know, if you (or anyone else here, familiar with them) would have said the same thing about the HPD if Quannell X hadn't accused them of lying.

I know WS is pro-LE/ LE-friendly & all and I am personally 100% pro-cop, but some stations do have a rotten reputation and usually if you do, it's deserved. So, does HPD have this rep or do folks just believe Quannell X over the police chief?

I felt that HPD didn't thoroughly investigate and most likely due to the lack of resources if she was married to not one but two different PD officers at one time may have taken her word on some info vs investigating further. Gave her the benefit of the doubt vs scrutinizing her more.
I felt the same Chief of Police dropped the ball regarding the Travis Scott Astroworld trampling incident.
He was friends with Travis Scott and was way too easy on him vs protecting Texans from his AstroWorld Festival lack of proper security measures. But that's just MOO.

 

[x_files]

I have a son over age 18. Let's say I report him missing, but it turns out he wasn't really missing. Over the years, people tell LE he is not missing but living with me, his mom. Would LE really care? Seriously, I don't think they would care that much, without evidence of a crime other than a false missing-person report from year's past.

(This does not mean I don't think the mom raised her son in an abusive way as I totally think she did, with all her lies and perhaps worse.)

jmo

I don't think in a larger city like Houston the police dept would have the resources to follow up on it, even SA allegations from a 18-year-old boy living with his own Mother. Since he is considered an adult and could just leave.
However, we know SA survivors sometimes are bonded with their abusers.
They won't press charges if the victim is unwilling to discuss it with investigators, unfortunately.
If this happened in a much smaller town with fewer crimes to pursue they might press charges of fraud, false reporting etc...what scares me if none of this is ever put on her record she'll scam other hapless victims in the future. New husbands, new accounts.

 

[SherryLock]

The article linked below is poorly written but if we are to believe it, Janie Santana has returned home and was also seen visiting Rudy at the friend's house where he is staying.

The aunt (Pauline) arrived with clothes etc. for Rudy but apparently there was a shouting match and the police were called. (I could not tell from the article who all was yelling). Rudy did eventually accept what his aunt brought him.

Rudy Farias’ mother, accused of faking son’s disappearance, returns after going ‘on the run’: ‘She’s a very greedy person’

Neighbors said elusive Janie Santana made a midnight dash last week after police exposed the miraculous re-appearance of her son as a sham but she has since re-emerged at her Houston-area home.

nypost.com

 

[SherryLock]

This may well be nothing but I thought it was kind of interesting. I noticed Janie Santana seems to be in very plain clothes (usually black) and no makeup etc. in the recent photos we've seen.

Of course there are obvious reasons she might be dressed so nondescriptly. Maybe she's just busy being on the run, for example, or that's just how she dresses. But I also wondered if it could be a deliberate choice to keep from standing out any more than she has to. Which sounds like a bit much but if she is the scammer it seems like she is, maybe that is something she would think about. Just a random thought. MOO. A couple of her recent news pics are below.

 

[SherryLock]

DBM

 

[Vezza]

There isn't much being reported by mainstream news, but this story isn't over. The flood gate is opening. I have never had discussions on Websleuths and I don't want to break any rules. I truly hope Rudy is protected and safe from this point forward, legally!

 

[imstilla.grandma]

According to Newsweek, Santana has been permanently banned from fund site after collecting more than $2,000 in donations on the fundraising platform after claiming her then teenage son never returned home from a walk with his dogs.

“His mentality, he needs to get well,” Pauline Sanchez said, per the outlet. “He’s going to be cautious. I still feel that he’s traumatized and gone through a lot. I still feel action should be taken.”

“He doesn’t want to see his mom and doesn’t want to go back to his mom,” Sanchez added. She also reportedly said he was living with a friend.

Another relative spoke to News Nation's Chris Cuomo about the mysterious case, calling Santana a “manipulative” person who “tries to make people fear her.”

“Unless you really know her, know what she's about and how she is as a person, you won't have any fear of Janie,” Farias’ cousin, Michelle Rodriguez, told the outlet.

What to Know About Rudy Farias, the Texas Man Who Police Say Was Never Missing for 8 Years as Mom Claimed

No charges have been filed in the mysterious case of Rudy Farias, who was 17 years old when Houston police allege his mom falsely reported him missing in 2015.

people.com