THE search for a missing boy has taken a sad turn as cops dig up a concrete patio in the backyard of the property where he lived.
Six-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez hasn’t been seen since October, when he disappeared from his hometown of Everman, Texas, about 10 miles south of Fort Worth.
Six-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez has been missing since OctoberCredit: WFAA
Police believe the boy is dead and are searching for his body after his mother Cindy Rodriguez-Singh (pictured) fled the country with the rest of Noel’s siblingsCredit: Twitter /scoopjefferson
5Searchers are tearing up a concrete patio that Noel’s mom paid to have installed sometime after his disappearanceCredit: FOX4
Police said in a tragic update last week that they now believe the boy is dead.
“Based on the totality of the circumstances, along with the evidence available to us at this time, it has led to a very unfortunate, unimaginable, and devastating conclusion that Noel is likely deceased,” Police Chief Craig Spencer said.
The search for Noel was launched shortly before his mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, 37, boarded an international flight with her husband Arshdeep Singh and Noel’s six siblings last month.
Noel suffered from severe health problems and required oxygen to breathe at times, according to cops.
The little boy was last seen in a repurposed shed where he lived with six of his ten siblings.
After getting a request for a wellness check on March 20, 2023, investigators visited the mother, who gave them false information on his whereabouts, police said.
Cops issued a felony warrant for Rodriguez-Singh and her husband after they jetted off from the United States without Noel, likely to India.
TEARING UP NEW PATIO
Authorities tore apart the dilapidated shed where the family lived and dug under freshly poured concrete to look for any sign of the boy but didn’t find any evidence of him initially.
Searchers are now digging up the entire patio, which Singh-Rodriguez paid a contractor to install at some point within the past month, local Fox affiliate KDFW reported.
“She doesn’t own the home. We find it very odd that she would spend her funds on somebody else’s home to put in a concrete patio, especially one as large and as elaborate as this,” Chief Spencer said.
“When we came out the first time, we did do a complete search of the whole patio with the ground penetrating radar. It did not reveal anything new. However, we know this ground penetrating radar is not 100%.
“So we are being thorough, making sure we aren’t missing anything.”
Also on Monday, Texas Search and Rescue assisted investigators in sifting through wooded areas around Noel’s home.
Law enforcement made use of drones, human remains detection canines, and officers on horseback.
“There hasn’t been any physical evidence to lead us to an exact location yet,” Chief Spencer said.
“This is just where we are starting… They’re searching for anything and everything that could potentially be linked, including for Noel himself.”
Police haven’t put a timeframe on the hunt for the boy’s body after changing their case from a missing person search to a death investigation.
“We’re going to keep searching until we find him,” the chief said.
“We are not giving up. All of our investigators are obviously committed on this case.”
CHILLING EVIDENCE
Noel’s mom allegedly said that her son was “evil,” “possessed,” and had a “demon” inside him, Chief Spencer said, citing information from the investigation.
Police believe that she was scared Noel, who had special needs, would hurt her newborn twins.
Family members told cops that Singh-Rodriguez said she sold Noel to a woman at a grocery store when they asked where he was.
They also said that they’d seen Singh-Rodriguez abuse the boy before.
Singh-Rodriguez’s brother previously told police that he witnessed signs of abuse when some of his sister’s ten children stayed with him around a year ago, a search warrant states.
He told police that Singh-Rodriguez asked him to avoid giving the child water because she didn’t want to change his diaper, according to the court documents.
The family decided to give him water and said they later saw Singh-Rodriguez hitting Noel with keys hanging from a lanyard.
Police have issued arrest warrants for Singh-Rodriguez and her husband and are currently working on getting the couple extradited from India.
If they’re brought back to the U.S., the couple will face charges of abandoning and endangering a child.
5Investigators have centered their search on the family’s home in Everman, TexasCredit: KDFW
Rodriguez-Singh supposedly fled with her husband Arshdeep Singh to IndiaCredit: KDFW
Source: the-sun.com
