The North Texas community of Everman will gather on October 24 to honor Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, the 6-year-old boy whose disappearance sparked an international investigation and led to a capital murder charge against his mother.
The public candlelight vigil will begin at 6 p.m. at Clyde Pittman Park, 300 Wichita Street in Everman, according to a city announcement Wednesday. The gathering will take place near a playground named in Noel’s memory in 2023. Organizers encourage attendees to wear light blue, his favorite color.
Noel’s family is preparing a private funeral. The family has not publicly disclosed the date or location.
Years-Long Investigation Leads to Discovery
Investigators last confirmed Noel alive in October 2022. Police learned of Noel’s disappearance in March 2023. On March 20, Everman officers conducted a welfare check at the request of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
His mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, initially told investigators that Noel lived with his biological father in Mexico. Authorities later rejected that account. Two days after the welfare check, Rodriguez-Singh traveled to India with her husband, Arshdeep Singh, and six other children. Noel did not accompany them.
A Tarrant County grand jury indicted Rodriguez-Singh on a capital murder charge in October 2023. The FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in July 2025. Indian authorities located Rodriguez-Singh in August 2025, and the FBI returned her to the United States, where she was taken into custody in Tarrant County.
In April 2026, a Tarrant County judge found Rodriguez-Singh incompetent to stand trial and ordered treatment at a state mental health facility intended to restore her competency. The ruling did not resolve the charges against her.
Investigators returned to Noel’s former Everman home in May and discovered human remains outside the property. Dental records identified the remains as Noel’s on May 15. As The Dallas Express previously reported, authorities initially withheld identification while awaiting forensic confirmation.
City Encourages Community To Remember Noel’s Life
In an October 7 news release quoted by CBS News Texas, Everman officials expressed condolences to Noel’s father, siblings, grandparents, and extended family and asked residents to respect their privacy.
“Noel has been remembered as a sweet, loving, friendly child who enjoyed playing with toy cars, loved the color blue, and had a special way of making people around him feel welcome,” the city said. “His family has described him as someone who truly ‘never knew a stranger.’”
“Noel was more than a case, more than an investigation, and more than a headline,” the city said. “He was a child. He was loved. He mattered. And he will never be forgotten.”
The October 24 vigil will offer residents an opportunity to honor Noel’s memory as his family prepares to lay him to rest.
