Federal, state, and local investigators returned this week to an Everman home tied to the disappearance of 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez Alvarez, intensifying efforts to locate the missing boy, who authorities believe is dead.
The joint operation involves the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Everman Police Department at a residence in the 3700 block of Wisteria Drive, according to officials and aerial footage captured on Wednesday.
Investigators were seen excavating portions of the backyard and sifting through the dirt beneath several canopies. By late Wednesday morning, crews had concentrated their efforts around a specific area while additional law enforcement personnel and apparent crime scene units arrived at the property.
Everman Police Chief Al Brooks described the operation as part of the ongoing investigation and declined to comment on whether any new leads or tips had prompted the search. Authorities previously searched the property in 2023.
“We can’t really discuss anything about the investigative process,” Brooks said during a Tuesday briefing, adding that officials would leave “no stone unturned.”
Private investigator Jay J. Armes III, who is not involved in the case, said searches of this nature are often supported by new evidence.
“A judge isn’t going to give you a warrant unless there’s sufficient probable cause,” Armes said, according to CBS New Texas. “This is good news for the investigation.”
Noel was last seen alive in late 2022, though police were not alerted to his disappearance until March 2023 after an extended family member reported him missing, The Dallas Express reported. Child Protective Services and police later responded to the home.
Investigators said Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, told authorities the child was living with his biological father in Mexico. Two days after police questioned her, Rodriguez Singh, her husband, and Noel’s six siblings boarded a flight to India without the boy.
Rodriguez Singh was later placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted list before being arrested in India in August and returned to Texas. She has been charged with capital murder in connection with Noel’s disappearance.
Last month, a Tarrant County judge ruled Rodriguez Singh incompetent to stand trial, and she was transferred to a state mental health facility. Proceedings involving the parental rights of her other children are expected to remain on hold until she is able to appear in court. The children are currently living with relatives in the United States.
Although Noel’s remains have not been found, investigators believe the child is dead.
The renewed search has stirred emotions throughout the Everman community, where neighbors say they continue to hope for answers.
Jazmine Ramirez remembered Noel as a kind and loving child.
“He was a kid…he had all his future in front of him,” Ramirez said, per CBS. “It’s heavy… to think of ever doing anything like that to a kid.”
William Gaither, another neighbor, described Noel as “a real nice … loving, adorable child.”
Neighbors also expressed frustration over the years-long investigation and pleaded for closure.
“Just tell us where he is. It’s time for him to have… a peaceful rest. Just tell us where he is,” Porschia Taylor-Inocente said, per WFAA.
