Officials from the Everman Police Department, FBI, and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office have made a significant development in the investigation into the disappearance and presumed death of a 6-year-old Everman boy.
Everman Chief of Police Al Brooks announced that during their investigation, human remains were discovered at the former home of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, a young boy who vanished more than three years ago. Brooks explained that though human remains were discovered, they have not been positively identified as Noel.
Officials reported Thursday that human remains were found during their search of a home formerly belonging to Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez’s family.
Those remains are now in the custody of the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, and medical examiners are working to confirm a positive identification.
“What you’re seeing today is the result of a years-long investigation where very diligent investigators refused to give up on Noel,” Chief Brooks said. “I am profoundly grateful for the assistance that we have received from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.”
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The search of the Everman home began on Monday with a forensic investigation that continued until Wednesday afternoon.
Investigators, presumably looking for buried evidence outside the home this week, loaded a large tarp containing something heavy into a van on Wednesday afternoon. The van was then driven to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The home on the 3700 block of Wisteria Drive was previously rented by the boy’s family at the time of his disappearance. Police had searched the home at the beginning of the investigation three years ago, but didn’t find anything.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, investigators were seen outside the home, carrying shovels and other equipment, and returning to the back yard for another day of digging and searching for clues. A number of tents were seen set up in parts of the yard closest to the home.
By noon Wednesday, crews seemed concentrated in a particular part of the yard, where numerous law enforcement officers were seen examining and digging deeper into the dirt.
The boy’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, has been charged with capital murder in connection with his presumed death.
In 2023, Rodriguez Singh fled to India with her husband and other children before her arrest, leading to an international manhunt. She was eventually taken into custody and returned to Tarrant County.
During the beginning stages of the investigation, police said that witnesses told them that Rodriguez Singh was abusive toward Noel, who was reported to have had intellectual disabilities. The witnesses told police she had told them she thought he was “evil” and “possessed.”
The boy’s family also said Noel was abused and neglected regularly, and that food and water were withheld because Cindy didn’t like his dirty diapers.
In April, a psychiatric evaluation indicated that Cindy Rodriguez Singh is incompetent to stand trial, according to a district court record. However, investigators said on Thursday that they believe her competence will be restored.
“She’s been found incompetent,” Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said. “She had a psychological evaluation, and the psychologist told the court that currently she is not competent to stand trial. Now, there are two things that are required for you to be competent to stand trial. You’ve got to understand the charges against you, and you’ve got to be able to assist in your defense. The report further says that they believe that in the foreseeable future, she will regain competency, so she will stand trial for this.”
Investigators say human remains were found at the former home of missing 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez after days of searching the property. Prosecutors say the discovery could strengthen the case against Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, while they wait for confirmation from the medical examiner. Court filings also reveal handwritten letters Singh sent to the judge before the judge recused herself from the case. NBC 5’s Tahera Rahman has more.