He went missing as a Texas teenager more than eight years ago and turned up alive Saturday as a 25-year-old man for whom that time remained a mystery.
The Texas Center for the Missing said Saturday that Rudy Farias, of Houston, the subject of nationwide concern, has been “located safe” and is recovering in a hospital for reasons not mentioned.
He was last seen walking his two dogs on March 6, 2015, near his home, according to authorities. One dog, then the other returned home without their leashes, and Farias, then 18, was in the wind, authorities said.
Family members said he suffered from depression, particularly after he lost an older brother to a motorcycle accident years before.
“He watched his best friend die right in front of him,” Brenda Paradise, a private investigator hired by the Farias family, said in April 2015. “His brother was his best friend in the world. He’s just gone through so much more than anyone his age ever should.”
Houston police didn’t suspect foul play, but friends and family were concerned nonetheless, particularly as time wore on.
“This family has been through so much,” Paradise said in 2015. “Whatever happened, a mom needs answers about her son.”
It’s not clear where he’s been or why he left.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com