Photo:Texas Center for the Missing
Texas Center for the Missing
GoFundMe has permanently banned Janie Santana, the mother ofRudolph “Rudy” Farias, from their platform after her post on the site about her son’s purported disappearance raised thousands of dollars.
“The fundraiser has been removed from the platform and the beneficiary has been banned from using GoFundMe for any future fundraisers.”
Farias was deemed missing for eight years, until July 3, when theTexas Center for the Missingpublicly announced that Farias had been found alive the weekend prior. Though Santana said he was found unresponsive outside a Houston church with cuts and bruises across his body, she expressed relief that the 25-year-old had finally been located after all these years.
“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,” reads a previous family statement shared withABC 13. “We are asking for privacy during this difficult time but will share more details as Rudy continues to heal."
Shortly after the news surfaced, neighbors claimed they had frequently seen Farias in the community and found it odd that he had been reported missing.
Just days later, Houston police said Farias was actually never missing and had been living at home with his mother during the whole eight-year period that the public assumed he was gone. An HPD Lieutenant claimed during a press conference that Farias, then 17, returned home the following day after apparently vanishing.
A lieutenant also said that it was determined that Farias had previous contact with HPD, but he and his mother had allegedly given authorities fictitious names and birth dates.
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Meanwhile, Farias' aunt previously toldNBC Newsthat he doesn’t want contact with his mother and is staying with a friend for the time being.
No charges have been filed in the case, but the investigation is ongoing.
source: people.com
