Texas man who went missing as a teen is found alive 8 years later

The Texas Centre for the Missing said that a Houston man who went missing as a teen more than eight years ago has been discovered safe.

A missing persons flier stated that Rudolph “Rudy” Farias IV had been missing since March 6, 2015.

According to Farias’ mother, CNN affiliate KTRK, someone found him lifeless and covered in scratches and bruises outside of a church and phoned 911. According to KTRK, she thinks he was severely abused and beaten.

“After 8 long years, Rudy has been located safe,” said a Sunday tweet from the Texas Center for the Missing.

“Please continue to keep his family in your prayers as Rudy recovers in the hospital.”

Farias, who was 17 at the time, was last seen walking his two dogs in northwest Houston, according to CNN affiliate KHOU.

According to Farias’ mother, he will only utter a few syllables before curling up into the foetal position. She told KTRK that she expects the healing process to take a while.

His whereabouts are unknown.

Nearly 360,000 complaints of missing children were filed to the FBI in 2022, according to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children; this number may include duplicate reports.