FORT WORTH, Texas — The mother and stepfather of missing 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alverez are now facing a felony charge of abandonment and endangerment of a child, police said Friday.
Noel has not been found. But a warrant was issued Friday for the mother and stepfather, and authorities are working to extradite the couple from India back to the United States.
Noel’s mother and stepfather, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh and Arshdeep Singh, flew from Dallas-Fort Worth to India with six other children last week, two days before an Amber Alert was issued for Noel. Texas and federal authorities have been looking for the 6-year-old, who has disabilities including a lung condition, since police received a tip last week that he has not been seen since November.
Police said Friday that they dug up part of a concrete patio on the property where the family lived on Wisteria Drive, but that search did not find any evidence that would lead them to Noel. The family was staying in a converted shed in the back yard of a home owned by a friend, and also used a couple of rooms inside the main house.
Investigators learned that the concrete porch had recently been poured and was paid for by Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, despite her not owning the property, Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said. Authorities dug into the patio because radar detected an “anomaly” in the concrete that indicated the possible presence of unknown objects, Spencer said.
Investigators have used specialized equipment and dogs that can detect human remains during their extensive search of the property, Spencer said. The dogs did not alert to any evidence of human remains.
Investigators have not found any evidence to indicate that Noel is dead and they have tried to stay optimistic while exploring all possibilities and leads, Spencer said.
Authorities weren’t notified that Noel was missing until they received an anonymous tip on March 20. His mother, who has full legal custody of Noel, did not cooperate with investigators and lied to them about where her son was, telling them the boy was with his biological father in Mexico, according to Everman police.
Homeland Security verified that there is no record of Noel crossing the border into Mexico, Spencer said. The biological father is cooperating with the investigation and has not seen Noel, according to police.
Spencer has said authorities were concerned that the family might not return to the U.S. to answer questions. They previously issued warrants for Rodriguez-Singh on a misdemeanor charge of filing a false report and on a probation violation. She was sentenced to 10 years of probation in 2020 on a repeat offense of driving while intoxicated, according to Tarrant County court records.
The misdemeanor charge wasn’t enough to support extradition, but the new felony charges mean that the mother and stepfather are fugitives, Spencer said.
Investigators are “not working on a clock” and will continue looking for Noel until they find out what happened to him, the police chief has said.
Requirements and process for extradition from India
In order for a crime to be considered extraditable under the treaty between the United States and India, the charges have to be severe enough to warrant punishment for at least one year, no matter if the law or one similar exists in India or if that law is considered as severe there.
If that is met, Everman police, or any agency wanting to extradite a suspect from India, can work with federal authorities to submit an extradition request through diplomatic channels, by the terms of the treaty.
India would require the U.S. to provide evidence, statements, documents, a copy of the warrant, “and such information as would justify the committal for trial of the person in the requested state,” according to the website for the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Indian authorities would review those documents and decide whether to approve or decline the extradition request. In “cases of urgency,” American authorities can request a provisional arrest while the extradition is being processed.
The FBI, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, Alliance for Children and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children are among many agencies helping with the investigation.
Police urged the public to share any information, no matter how small the detail or how long ago they saw the family. Tips can be called in at (817) 293-2923. Everman police also have set up an email address for tips at tips@evermantx.net
