Rudy Farias is speaking publicly about what has really been happening for the last eight years, when many people believed he was missing. The now 25-year-old man said he has been trapped in the house under the control of his mother, Janie Santana, and now he wants the world to know the truth.
In an exclusive interview with Fox 26, Farias said his mother hid him in their home and brainwashed him into believing he would be arrested if he left the house. She hid him away from family and friends for years. The young man was emotional and said he finally feels free.
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Santana allegedly made her son's life a living hell.
An emotional Farias told Fox 26 that he felt like he was living in a prison. He said for his entire life, he "just wanted to be free." He wanted a job and to live his own life, but that wasn't possible.
He also said he spent time studying online during his alleged captivity. He wanted to learn as much as he could about the world and other cultures, so he filled his time researching online and trying to figure out what was real.
"I was held against my will, mentally, not physically, she was just constantly bombarding me with negative thoughts," he said, according to the news outlet.
Farias said he was hidden in the home, and his mother pretended everything was normal.
"I was stuck at home," said Farias. "Somebody would come up, my mom would just tell me to stay in the room, keep the door locked, don't let them in [and] don't make any sounds."
He said that people would come to his mother's home when she said he was missing, and she hid him away.
"I would just have to listen to my family, be happy and cheerful on the other side of the (expletive) door," Farias shared with Fox 26. "I wanted to scream for them, but at the same time I couldn't. The only person I could trust was my mom."
He said the relationship with his mother was like "Stockholm Syndrome."
He claimed he doesn't remember why his mother said he was missing.
Farias couldn't articulate details about the captivity and said he doesn't remember why his mother said he was missing.
"When it comes to the real small details like that, I just can't. I don't remember. It's like it just blocks it out like she's blocking it out for me or something," he said, according to Fox 26. "It's like, I just want to remember the facts. I want to understand who I am and what I'm trying to do and just try to live my life the way I want to and not how she wants me to."
He said he wanted to live on his own, but his mother wouldn't let him.
Farias said he wanted a job, car, and life, but Santana controlled it all. She allegedly told him that he couldn't afford to do anything he wanted. "Everything was always just money, money, money. It was constantly f—ing money," he said, fighting tears.
But when it comes to money, Farias has yet to learn where any of the more than $2,000 raised to find him went. Reports say Santana collected from a GoFundMe account and was banned from the platform for life after Faris escaped earlier this month.
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Farias doesn't want anything to do with his mother.
The young man denied sexual abuse but said he knew what was happening in the home was abnormal. "She didn't force herself on me or anything like that. It would never be anything like that. Just stuff that really made me uncomfortable," he said, per Fox 26.
He said that he couldn't see them ever having a normal relationship after all he had been through. "Not after all of that. Not after everything she did, and to be honest, I don't want one with her," he shared.
Farias is speaking his truth, which finally brings him some closure. "It feels like, I'm just at peace now. Just feels happy, you know?" he explained.
Police have declined to charge Santana in the case.
