Rudy Farias, then 17, was walking his two dogs in northeast Houston when he vanished on 6 March 2015, prompting a desperate search.
The pets were eventually found safe but it would be eight long years before Mr Farias could be reunited with his family.
Over the weekend, law enforcement informed Mr Farias’ mother Janie Santana that her son was found unconscious and beaten outside a church.
While Ms Santana has welcomed the news with open arms, she has revealed that Mr Farias, now 25, is non-verbal and faces a long physical and emotional recovery ahead.
Much of what Mr Farias endured during the years he was away from home remains a mystery, as the Houston Police Department continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding his disappearance.
Here’s everything we know about the case:
Mr Farias went missing while walking his dogs
Mr Farias was last seen near Tidwell and Park Avenue in Houston around 6.30pm on 6 March 2015.
He was on a walk with his two dogs and was wearing blue jeans, a black T-shirt, grey cotton gloves and brown shoes.
At the time of his disappearance, it was shared with the public that Mr Farias was diagnosed with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety and had likely stopped taking his medication. He had previously suffered an injury to his right leg and walked with a slight limp.
According to the information featured on a Texas EquuSearch flyer distributed after he went missing, Mr Farias was usually wary around strangers and was not carrying his asthma inhaler with him.
A missing poster for Rudolph ‘Rudy’ Farias IV. Mr Farias went missing on 6 March 2015 and was found over the weekend
In addition to experiencing mental health problems, Mr Farias had lost his brother to a motorcycle accident four years earlier in 2011.
At the time, law enforcement reportedly told family members that Mr Farias may have been abducted and sold for human drug trafficking, according to local news station KHOU.
“He loves with all his heart, so that’s why we know that he wouldn’t just get up and leave on his own. That’s not him,” Ms Santana told the outlet as she fought tears. “It’s a nightmare that you want to wake up from.”
Authorities received a call in 2018 from a relative claiming they had spotted Mr Farias behind their home, but officers who responded to the scene did not find him.
‘My son is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma’
For eight years, Mr Farias’ family desperately searched for him and remained hopeful that he would be found alive and safe.
Finally, last week, he was found following a 911 call reporting an unconscious man outside the Immaculate Heart Church, according to ABC News.
When first responders arrived at the scene, they found Mr Farias visibly beaten, with bruises and cuts all over his body and dry blood on his head.
Police contacted his family over the weekend to tell them he had been found alive.
“Currently, we do not have any additional information on Rudy’s case. What we do know is ... a good Samaritan located him unresponsive and immediately called police and 911,” Ms Santana said in a statement to local news station KHOU.
Mr Farias’ mother Janie Santana said he has a long recovery ahead— (Bella Ninos)
“My son Rudy is receiving the care he needs to overcome his trauma, but at this time, he is nonverbal and not able to communicate with us.”
“We are asking for privacy during this difficult time but will share more details as Rudy continues to heal.”
According to relatives, Mr Farias also has soft tissue tumours and swelling on the soles of his feet.
He was found wearing a necklace that belonged to his late brother and now squeezes it every time doctors or family members try to talk to him, his mother told ABC.
She said that he remains disorientated and will only say a few words before shutting down and going into a foetal position.
Investigation into Mr Farias’ disappearance is underway
Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Mr Farias’ disappearance and are trying to find out where he has been for the last eight years.
“Our mission is to continue supporting our families whose loved ones go missing,” Melissa Rangel, a spokesperson with the Texas Center for the Missing, told CNN. “Rudy Farias has been missing for eight years and now has been located safe. We at Texas Center for the Missing continue to support our families through reunification and want to continue to support the families through the healing and the hope when their loved ones are missing.”
The FBI estimates that more than 359,000 children were reported missing just last year, according to Forbes.
