Mother of missing Everman boy returns from India, now in Tarrant County Jail
Cindy Rodriguez Singh had been on the run for more than two years since police began looking into her son’s disappearance.
The FBI said Cindy Rodriguez Singh, the mother of a 6-year-old disabled North Texas boy missing since October 2022 and presumed dead, is back in the United States and in the Tarrant County Jail.
WATCH HEREThe FBI said Indian authorities located Rodriguez Singh, and the FBI transferred her back to the United States and into the custody of the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.
“The return of Cindy Rodriguez Singh from India is a new chapter in the search for answers in the disappearance of Noel Alvarez. This successful outcome resulted from international collaboration between the FBI and our domestic and global partners. It proves once again that justice has no borders,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock in a news release. “We hope that the residents of North Texas can rest a little easier knowing that Rodriguez Singh is in custody in the United States and will now face charges.”
Federal investigators have not yet released any details about her capture.
Rodriguez Singh is facing a capital murder charge connected to the presumed death of her son, Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez. The FBI said Wednesday she also faces charges of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells issued a statement Thursday praising the capture of Rodriguez Singh.
“Our focus now is the successful prosecution of Cindy Rodriguez Singh. We owe it to Noel and our community to hold her accountable. We will do our part in delivering justice for Noel,” Sorrells said.
Rodriguez Singh declined NBC 5’s request for an interview. No word on whether she has retained legal counsel.
The search for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez
On March 20, 2023, at the request of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Everman police began looking into the welfare of 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez.
On March 22, 2023, surveillance video showed Singh with her husband and six other juvenile children boarding a flight to India. Investigators said a day before the family departed, the couple used a credit card to buy one-way airline tickets.
During their investigation, Everman Police learned the boy had not been seen since October 2022 and wasn’t among the children who boarded the international flight.
In April 2023, cadaver dogs assisting investigators at the child’s home on Wisteria Drive “alerted” to a discarded rug and topsoil underneath a recently poured concrete porch at the family’s rented home. The “alert,” police said, indicated human remains had been present at some time in the past; however, no physical evidence was found that could be tested and identified.
In the spring of 2023, investigators said they believed Noel was deceased after finding no evidence to support claims or rumors that he was either living with family members abroad or had been sold to a woman outside of a local grocery store.
In October 2023, investigators said the boy was presumed dead and charged his mother.
Rodriguez Singh was indicted on four charges, including a charge of capital murder, two charges of injury to a child, and one charge of abandoning a child without the intent to return.
The FBI added Rodriguez Singh to the 10 Most Wanted list in July and offered a $250,000 reward for information leading to her capture. It’s unclear if her arrest resulted from a tip or if anyone can collect the reward.
Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez’s foster mother released a statement about Rodriguez Singh’s capture that read in part:
“Her younger children now face life without their mother, and Noel’s father continues to carry the grief of losing a child he never had the chance to know,” said Patricia Paris. “This case has touched many lives, and my deepest condolences go out to every family member, friend, and community member affected. May this be the beginning of healing, and may Noel’s memory live on with love and dignity.”
