Missing teen found after 8 years, police say

He was reportedly found unresponsive outside of a church.

July 3, 2023, 12:34 PM

Editor's note: Houston Police on July 6, 2023 released updated statements regarding the Rudy Farias case. They now say the 25-year-old was never missing.

A missing teen has been found, eight years after he went missing while walking his dogs in Houston, according to police.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department confirmed to ABC News that Rudolph 'Rudy' Farias IV was found unconscious outside of a church on June 29th. He was taken by a family member and is scheduled to be interviewed by police on Wednesday.

Police say the investigation into Faris' disappearance is ongoing and that they have not been able to confirm many of the details regarding the case.

Then-17-year-old Farias was walking his two dogs on the evening of Friday, March 6, 2015 when he went missing, according to the search and recovery organization Texas Equusearch.

The dogs were found shortly thereafter but Farias, who was said to have an injured right leg and walked with a slight limp, remained missing.

Texas Equusearch also warned at the time that Farias reportedly suffered from "depression, PTSD and anxiety" before his disappearance and that it was "possible he is disoriented as he has not been taking his medication."

PHOTO: A poster for Rudy Farias who went missing in 2015, when he was walking his two dogs, was found eight years later in Houston.
A poster for Rudy Farias who went missing in 2015, when he was walking his two dogs, was found eight years later in Houston.
KTRK

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department told ABC News that Farias was seen in 2018 on a "family member's property by other family members" but that police could not locate him.

His mother told ABC's KTRK in Houston that her son, who's now 25, was found with cuts and bruises on his body and blood in his hair. She also said that she believes he was badly abused and beaten and that he is saying only a few words. She further told KTRK that "it would be a long healing journey but is thankful her son has been found alive."