The City of Everman is contemplating a way to honor a missing member of its community.
City council members will consider a resolution to name a new inclusive playground after a 6-year-old boy who has been missing for months. The playground at Clyde Pittman Park was designed for people of all ages and abilities and will include specialized equipment for kids with physical, developmental, sensory, and social challenges.
Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez was reportedly last seen by extended family members in November 2022. When Child Protective Services notified the local police in March that the child was unaccounted for, officers began investigating his disappearance, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, Noel’s mother, provided police with several false stories of her son’s whereabouts before fleeing to Istanbul, Turkey, and then to India with her husband and the rest of the family. Rodriguez-Singh was allegedly neglectful and abusive to Noel.
Officials issued an Amber Alert for Noel on March 25, changing it to an Endangered Missing Persons Alert later that same day.
Everman law enforcement has been searching for the missing child since then, but the case has transitioned to a death investigation, as authorities believe it is likely that the boy is dead. Noel was known to have developmental and health challenges and sometimes needed supplemental oxygen to breathe.
Officials are working to extradite Rodriguez-Singh and her husband to the United States after discovering them in India.
Everman officials believe that naming the playground at Clyde Pittman Park after Noel is in “the best interest of the city” and is an appropriate way to honor him and his story, according to the resolution document. The park will include a memorial plaque with details from Noel’s story.
“There is absolutely no place in our society for child abuse or neglect,” said Everman Mayor Ray Richardson in a statement, according to WFAA. “Our children [are] our most valuable resource. We must cherish and support them as they truly are the future.”
Everman law enforcement plans to continue its efforts to search for the child.
“Our community is small and closely knit. Our town has rallied behind little Noel since we learned of his disappearance,” said Richardson, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Regardless of the final outcome of this investigation, there is absolutely no doubt that Noel has touched the lives of so many.”
The City Council will consider the resolution at its meeting on Tuesday evening.