HOUSTON — An aunt of the 25-year-old man believed to have been missing for eight years and who reappeared over the weekend says she no longer wants to see or live with her mother.
Pauline Sanchez said she saw her nephew, Rudy Farias, for the first time in eight years Thursday night.
“I felt a great presence. He was beautiful. We held each other until I finally let go. He’s a little skinny,” he said outside a friend’s house, where Farias plans to reside for a while. “He’s doing well, but he plans to stay away from his mother.”
Farias made national headlines over the weekend when it was reported that he had been “safely located” at a church in Houston after a year-long search.
Authorities said Thursday that Farias, who was reported missing in March 2015, had been living with his mother for most of the time.
Some neighbors said Thursday that they were surprised to learn that Farias had been reported missing because they saw him often in the neighborhood.
However, other neighbors who live across the street they say they had not seen him since he was reported missing, making the case even more complex.
Farias was reported missing on March 7, 2015, but returned home a day later, Houston police said Thursday.
He was found last week in a church, about 8 miles from his family’s home, according to an investigator with Texas EquuSearch, a nonprofit search and rescue service that helped search for Farias.
He was unspeakable and unable to communicate, his mother, Janie Santana, said in a statement, adding that a good Samaritan discovered him and immediately called authorities.
Sanchez said she did not ask her nephew about specific details about his missing persons case.
“His mentality needs to improve. It will be cautious. I still feel like he’s traumatized and he’s been through a lot. I still feel action needs to be taken,” the aunt said. “He doesn’t want to see his mom and he doesn’t want to go back to his mom.”
The meeting capped a tortuous day for Sánchez, who was accompanied at times by her son.
Sánchez had received a tip about Farias’ whereabouts and took the day off. He first stopped by the house of Santana, his stepsister, where she had been living with Farias.
When she discovered no one was home, she drove across town to look for her nephew, dodging a reporter on the road who had been tailing her in traffic.
After being yelled at and calling the police, Sánchez was finally let into the backyard of the house where Farias plans to stay and met her nephew.
“At first it got off to a bad start,” he said. “All that matters is that he is safe and sound.”
