Kit Roberts
A teenager who was kept captive for eight years has spoken out about the ordeal after he was falsely reported missing.
Rudy Farias has said that it was 'Stockholm syndrome' that kept him staying where his own mother was allegedly keeping him. Although he denies that he suffered any sexual abuse during the captivity, he says that his mother 'brainwashed and manipulated' him during the period.
Now, Rudy, from Houston, has described how his abusive mother would use emotional manipulation to get him to stay. He recalls feelings as though he 'just wanted to be free'.
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He told Fox26Houston: "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."
Instead, Rudy claims his mother, Janie Santana, who has not been charged, would emotionally manipulate him. This included having to hide in his bedroom when they had visitors.
While he has denied that Santana ever physically abused him, Rudy said that she instead repeatedly tricked him into not leaving. She allegedly lied and fed him information that he would not be able to confirm, meaning that he would choose to stay in the house.
He said: "She would manipulate me into saying I would get arrested for speeding ticket. It just felt like brainwashing, honestly.
Instead, he was kept against his will in the house. In one heartbreaking admission, he said that he would be hidden away while family came to visit.
He said: "I would just have to listen to my family and cheerful on the other side of a f****** door... I'd be like, I just want my family, just want people, just want communication. I just wanted to live my life."
He finally emerged after being 'missing' for some eight years. However, neighbours were left puzzled by the revelation, saying that he had never been missing at all.
He described the experience as a kind of Stockholm Syndrome, where a victim develops an attachment or bond with their capture.
The eight-year search ended when he was found in a church. When it was revealed that he had been found alive the news was greeted with joy. However, things took a turn when Rudy began to make unsettling allegations about how his mother had treated him.
He said: "(I) was held against my will, mentally, not physically, she was just constantly bombarding me with negative thoughts.
"It feels like, I'm just at peace now. Just feels happy, you know?"