One year after search begins for Everman boy, no sign of his body or his mother

Sunday marked one year since the global search for a missing Everman boy officially began.

The disappearance of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez triggered an Amber Alert before launching an international search for his fugitive mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh.

To this day, the 6-year-old’s remains have not been found, neither has his mother.

C.W. Spencer, the chief of police for the small Tarrant County community of Everman held a press conference in March 2023 about the boy’s disappearance.

“We have a 6-year-old disabled boy that cannot be accounted for and the mother is not willingly cooperating with investigators to ensure the child is safe,” he said. “We are desperately seeking the public’s help.”

Following weeks of exhaustive searches in and around the family’s home along Wisteria Drive, police made a grim announcement: Noel was presumably dead.

The child’s body has not yet been found, but trained K9s detected the presence of human remains in the backyard of the home where the family lived.

Noel’s mother, stepfather, and six siblings lived in a filthy shed behind a house owned by Charles Parson.

While the police investigation was launched in March 2023, Noel had reportedly not been seen since November 2022, according to police.

Someone eventually reported the situation to authorities leading to an Amber Alert.

At the time of the initial search in and around Parson’s property, the elderly man told NBC 5 the Singhs were his friends. Parson insisted law enforcement was looking for the boy in the ‘wrong place,’ insisting Noel was alive and well living with an aunt in Mexico.

Police insist they have checked with family in Mexico and Noel was never taken or sent there.

NBC 5 confirmed Monday that Parson, a potential witness in any upcoming criminal proceedings, died recently of natural causes.

Police said about the time they began investigating the boy’s disappearance, Noel’s mother and stepfather fled the country, flying first to Istanbul with only their six other children.

The family was last believed to have flown to New Dehli, India.

Everman Police continue working with the FBI Dallas Division and international law enforcement partners to locate Rodriguez-Singh and extradite her to North Texas to face capital murder and other charges involving Noel’s death.

Patricia Paris, a foster parent who took in Noel and his siblings when he was younger, is paying close attention to any developments in this case that have garnered international attention.

Sunday’s one-year mark hit her hard.

“I’m still angry and disappointed,” said Paris on Monday. “I was thinking about … What would [Noel] be doing right now? Easter is coming up. I know he loved to be outside I know he loves playing games. Would he be Easter egg hunting?”

Paris said investigators face an uphill battle trying to find the boy’s fugitive parents in a country like India, but she is hopeful Singh will be found.

Meanwhile, the sweet boy lives on in his community. A playground for children of all abilities was named in his honor.

The Everman Police Department released a statement Monday, reading in part:

"We remember Noel as the caring and lively boy shown in family videos. We remember his strength and charisma and hold that close to our hearts as we see this case through to the end. We still have many unanswered questions, and we will continue to work with our federal and international partners to ensure justice is served for Noel. We won’t give up."