Houston police are investigating the alleged disappearance — and reappearance — of a man who reportedly went missing when he was a teenager in 2015.
Rudolph "Rudy" Farias IV was reported to have been "located safe" over the weekend after an eight-year search, but a neighbor and a community activist said Farias was never missing.
Neighbor Kisha Ross told NBC News Farias, 25, had been staying with his mother, just two doors down from her, since Ross moved to Houston eight months ago.
"His mama has been making him go to work with her at 7 p.m., and she wouldn’t let him get no job. She wouldn’t let him do nothing. She made him stay up under her at all times," Ross, 44, said.
Ross added Farias, known as "Dolph" to her family, regularly visited her home and hung out with her son, daughter and cousin.
"That boy hasn’t been missing for no eight years. They stay two houses down from me. That boy comes to my house. He’s been in my living room," Ross told NBC News.
Quanell X, the community activist, also backed up Ross' account during a press conference on Wednesday.
"This young man said when he initially ran away, he came back two days later," he said.
He said he met with detectives from the Houston Police Department on Wednesday afternoon. He said Farias and Farias' mother, Janie Santana, were present for at least part of the meeting.
NBC News was not able to reach Santana for comment Wednesday. In a July 3 statement, she said her son had been found on June 29.
"Currently, we do not have any additional information on Rudy’s case. What we do know is at the time of his recovery, a good Samaritan located him unresponsive and immediately called police and 911," Santana said in the statement. "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."
Houston police confirmed the meeting in a statement to NBC News, but detectives were not able to comment on specifics of the case. A press conference was scheduled for Thursday morning to discuss the case further, police said.
Victor Senties, a spokesperson for Houston police, previously said investigators were meeting with Farias' family to figure out "what actually transpired."
"We're trying to get to the bottom of what occurred," Senties said.
Senties declined to comment on if Farias had ever been reported missing to police or any other law enforcement agency in Texas.
Farias was reported to have been found at a church about eight miles from a home where his family last saw him in March 2015, according to the Texas Center for the Missing. He was around 18 years old at the time.
"We are happy to confirm Rudy Farias IV was located in Houston last week after being missing for 8 years," the Texas Center for the Missing said in a July 3 statement to TODAY.com. "Currently, there are no details regarding Rudy’s case. However, we do know when a loved one goes missing, this is the day all families hope for and dream of — REUNIFICATION. We are thankful that Rudy has been found and receiving the care he needs."
Melissa Rangel, a case manager at the Texas Center for the Missing, told NBC News she was aware of reports questioning Farias' disappearance.
"Right now, all we’re focusing with Rudy is having Rudy returning home," she said.
