Rudy Farias' Grandma Knew He Wasn't Missing: Cousin

Houston man Rudy Farias was recently found after missing for eight years, but his cousin said he was never missing at all.

The Houston Police Department said Farias, 25, whose real name is Randolph Farias IV, was found at about 10 p.m. local time June 29 outside a church. He was originally reported missing on March 6, 2015, when he was 17 years old and last seen walking his two dogs near his family's home in northeast Houston prior to a sudden disappearance.

Police said after they located Farias, who reportedly had been found with cuts and bruises all over his body and blood in his hair upon discovery, that they planned to speak to members of his family on Wednesday, June 5, to discuss details of his whereabouts.

Farias' cousin, Cassandra Lopez, told local NBC-affiliated TV station KPRC that she called 911 in 2018 after family members reportedly saw Farias at his mother's home.

KPRC reported that Houston police officers responded to the call, but didn't find Farias.

Now, she says his discovery shocked her.

"I was in shock [when Farias was found]," Lopez said. "I was like, I couldn't believe it. I mean, I was glad, but I just was wondering what was going to unfold from it.

"Like, what was the story going to be behind it? Because it's just we always in our hearts knew that he wasn't really missing."

She also said that their grandmother told her she often spoke with Farias.

"She would just say, 'I saw Rudy. You know, he came to check on me and we said hello and we had a little conversation," Lopez said. "She never went into detail, but she would say she saw him."

Farias' mother, Janie Santana, has been alleged to have actually held her son captive and abused him for those eight years. She recently said in a statement that "a good Samaritan located [her son] unresponsive and immediately called police."

Santana's neighbors have added more questions about Farias' whereabouts with their own statements.

Kisha Ross and her family, who live in the same neighborhood as Farias' mother, told reporters that they have seen, spoken to and hung out with Farias over the years.

"He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son and daughter. That boy has never been missing," Ross told ABC13 in Houston.

Ross's cousin, Broderick Conley, said he and Farias—who neighbors knew as "Dolph"—would hang out often and had "good times" together.

A 12 p.m. ET press conference is scheduled today to inform the public of new details associated with the investigation, handled by detectives within Houston Police's Missing Persons Unit.

A GoFundMe page created for Farias has been removed from the website. Newsweek reached out to the site via email to find out who created the fundraiser, and why it was taken down.