Rudy Farias: ‘Missing’ Texas man says mom ‘brainwashed’ him into hiding for 8 years

globalnews.ca:

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Rudolph (Rudy) Farias IV, the teen who went “missing” eight years ago in Houston, Texas, said he was “brainwashed” by his mother, who allegedly coerced him into hiding in their home for nearly a decade.

Farias, who was reported missing at 17 years old, gave his first-ever interview to Fox 26 Houston this week in an attempt to quell the massive international speculation that has surrounded his case.

The now-25-year-old man was found lying wounded and unconscious in front of a church in southeast Houston earlier this month. After he was identified, reports emerged that Farias’ mother, Janie Santana, had physically and sexually abused her son in their home while he was considered a missing person. (Farias denies any sexual assault ever occurred.)

In the interview, Farias — whose face is blurred — said he’s been “stuck at home” for the last eight years. He said Santana never locked him in a room or forcibly restrained him, though he still felt that he could not leave the house.

“I had free will to leave, it just felt like brainwashing, honestly,” he said.

Farias became audibly emotional as he claimed his mother “manipulated” him into believing he would be arrested if he left the house and was identified by police. He said the experience felt like “Stockholm syndrome,” a condition where people develop strong psychological bonds with their captors.

Farias said his mother was the only person and his only support system after the untimely death of his older brother in an accident in 2011.

When family members would visit the house, Farias said he was made to hide. He said he would listen to his family “be happy and cheerful on the other