Private investigators hired to try and find missing teen Rudy Farias claim his story "didn't add up" as his mum "never appeared worried."
Brenda Paradise was one of the investigators looking into the Houston teen's disappearance after he vanished in 2015 while out on a dog walk.
Despite being missing for eight years, it was revealed Ruby had told local activist Quanell X that he was never missing at all, and had been allegedly subjected to years of abuse by his own mum, Janie Santana.
She's also accused of making him "play daddy" and to be "her husband" and allegedly lied to him about what would happen if he revealed to police he wasn't missing.
Private investigator Brenda has struggled to understand Rudy's reappearance, telling Insider: "He was 18 when he went missing.
"I found the original intake form, It shows that mom wrote the wrong date. She said he was 17. Something doesn't add up. There's something dark and dirty here."
The investigator claimed the mum was unable to provide any recent pictures of her son and could only provide one of as a 14-year-old.
She told them: "She told me that she thought if he looked younger, there would be more empathy."
Investigators found an asthma inhaler and backpack at the scene of the disappearance, despite Ruby both items appearing not to belong to him.
Brenda revealed: "Rudy never even had asthma. The backpack had some elementary-school kid's homework inside it, and that wasn't Rudy's either.
"But the mom had swore up and down that it was his. I would love to hear that he's truly been missing all these years, and has finally been found
"I mean, God, I'd love to hear that he was found and is getting help. But I just don't trust anything that comes from that family."
Troy Finner claims police were "right at the beginning" after they were called to investigate the missing case in March, 2015, along with private investigators.
Police officers received a phone call from one of Rudy's family members after he was spotted living behind a family member's home in September, 2018.
Police spokesman John Cannon said investigators followed up on the 2018 sighting and went to the relative’s home but “they could not observe him. They could not locate him,” Mr Cannon said.
One of the family's neighbours, Kisha Ross, came forward and spoke to ABC13, telling the outlet: "He used to come in my garage, chill with my cousin, son and daughter.
Lieutenant Christopher Zamora, from Houston police, told reporters Rudy "was not missing during the eight-year period".
"In fact, both Rudy's mother and Rudy himself gave fictitious names while interacting with various patrol officers," he said.
"After investigators talked with him yesterday, it was discovered that he returned home the following day.
"The mother, Janie, continued to deceive police by remaining adamant that Rudy was still missing."
The mum, who has not been charged, tried to contact her son but he refuses to talk to her and doesn't want to return to the home, according to his aunt.