A missing man recently found after eight years of searching has spoken out about the horror he faced, and the hoax claims around his disappearance.
Rudy Farias, now 25, had reportedly been missing since 2015, and after he reappeared this month questions about who was responsible for his disappearance have gathered pace.
The Texas-born man, who was 17 when he went missing, claimed that his mother, Janie Santana, manipulated and brainwashed him into believing he would suffer were he not to follow her orders.
Though he was not physically trapped – Mr Farias said – he felt mentally tied to his home in Houston, scared to leave the property and risk the wrath of Ms Santana.
His story rocked Texas when he was found unconscious outside a church, his body covered in cuts and bruises.
Initially, Mr Farias did not speak out, instead having Houston activist Quanell X act as his spokesperson. But he has now opted to relive his ordeal himself.
Speaking to ABC News, Mr Farias said that despite having “free will to leave” it “just felt like brainwashing to me”.
He continued: “It just kept confusing me, the way she would manipulate me into saying, ‘You’re going to get arrested.'”
The alleged captive added: “She locked me in there pretty much, mentally. She was my only parent, the only person I really ever had besides my brother. When I lost my brother, I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to live, or to have confidence or trust in myself. So I depended on my mom all my life.”
Mr Farias has endured a difficult life with his father – a police officer – dying by suicide a year before his disappearance.
Four years before that his half-brother died in an accident.
These difficulties were touched on by Mr Farias, who was taken to hospital immediately after being found.
He continued: “After [my brother] passed away, I wasn’t able to love myself for anything anymore,” Rudy said. “I wasn’t able to have someone like a father figure. You know, he was my brother, but I never had a dad.”
Mr Farias felt isolated and imprisoned during his eight years, saying he rarely left the family home except to work.
After he was found earlier this month, Quanell X said Mr Farias had confessed to his that alongside claims of imprisonment, he was also a victim of sexual assault.
When pressed on these claims, Mr Farias added: “I used to have to sleep in her bed sometimes.
“Boundaries she would push or make me uncomfortable, and I would say ‘Stop,’ and she would say, ‘Why? Why? Why? I didn’t do anything wrong.'”
