Left: Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez (Everman Police Department). Right: Cindy Rodriguez-Singh (FBI).
It”s been nearly three years since Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, a 6-year-old disabled boy from North Texas, disappeared without a trace. And it’s been over two years and four months since his immediate family fled the country. But the FBI is not content to let the matter fade.
Earlier this month, Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, 40, became the latest person added to the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. She is now the 537th person to earn that ignominious distinction.
“The addition of Cindy Rodriguez Singh to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List is an opportunity to bring this case to the eyes and ears of citizens across the country and around the world,” FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said in a press release announcing the decision. “We are confident that this publicity will culminate in her arrest and that she will be returned to the United States to answer for her alleged crimes.”
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The last time anyone saw Noel alive was October 2022. But his presence was quickly missed by those who knew him.
Since November 2022, various witnesses told law enforcement various versions of various stories — always sourced to the boy’s mother — purporting to account for his whereabouts.
Then, in March 2023, the child’s family fled to India.
Late that month, law enforcement learned Rodriguez-Singh boarded an international flight with a layover in Turkey – with India as the final destination two days before an Amber Alert was issued about Noel’s disappearance. Joining the defendant on that flight were her six other children and current husband, Arshdeep Singh, authorities say.
Several theories – such as human trafficking – supported the notion the boy was still alive, however, those avenues of inquiry were quickly discarded and replaced by the conviction he was killed by his mother.
Noel’s body has yet to be found. The cause of his presumed death is not ripe for discussion; a potential motive is just as murky – though occult-oriented explanations might feature in a criminal trial. Overall, physical evidence in the case has been relatively hard to come by.
Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer has, for years, doggedly pursued the now international case that originated in the small town, a suburb of Fort Worth and part of the broader and sprawling Metroplex.
“The announcement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to add Cindy Rodriguez-Singh to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list represents a significant step forward in the ongoing pursuit of justice for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez,” Spencer told Law&Crime in an email. “This illustrious list has a long track-record of proving successful with some of the world’s most dangerous criminals. This designation not only brings heightened national and international attention to this case, but also vastly increases the resources and public awareness needed to bring Singh to justice. Our department has worked tirelessly with our local, state, and federal partners from the very beginning. Noel deserves justice. His story deserves resolution.”
The story of Noel’s disappearance has been long and winding – but eventually all signs pointed to intentional homicide.
Noel suffered from a host of ailments that required attention and patience. He had not been seen for months by extended family at the time law enforcement became involved. When initially contacted by police about her vanished son, Rodriguez-Singh said the child had been living with his biological father in Mexico since November 2022. Detectives later learned that was not true; the boy’s father had been deported before he ever had a chance to meet his son.
Since the Rodriguez-Singh family’s rushed flight out of the country, a steady drip of sad and troubling developments seemingly confirmed the community’s worst-held fears.
Inset: Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez (Everman Police Department). Background: Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer discusses the case on April 12, 2023 (KXAS).
In early April 2023, a search warrant alleged Noel’s mother told his grandmother she sold him to another woman at a Fiesta Market – a chain of Latin-American grocery stores prevalent throughout North Texas. In a press conference announcing that warrant, Spencer said the boy’s mother had, in the days leading up to his death, described the 6-year-old as “evil, possessed, or having a demon in him.”
Later in April 2023, police revealed the boy’s mother paid for a new concrete patio to be poured in the backyard of a home she didn’t own – just weeks before fleeing to India. Cadaver dogs signaled the presence of human remains on the soil directly underneath the patio. Dogs also alerted to the carpet previously used as the floor of a makeshift shed that once sat in the exact same place as the patio – carpet previously disposed of in a nearby dumpster by Arshdeep Singh. But no “forensic evidence” was found at the home.
Days after that, police alleged Rodriguez-Singh worshiped and idolized a cult-like folk saint who personifies death and is popularly thought to favor the activities of violent drug cartels – and cited those claims as “very important” to the case of the missing boy.
One week later, the boy’s stepfather was charged with one count of felony theft for allegedly stealing $10,000 funds from an employer on March 22 – the same day he left the United States on a Turkish Airways flight.
In October 2023, Rodriguez-Singh was indicted on counts of capital murder, two counts of injury to a child and one count of abandoning a child without intent to return.
In their announcement, the FBI said they were increasing a prior reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to Singh’s arrest and conviction to $250,000.
Authorities hope the larger price on Rodriguez-Singh’s head will translate to more attention – and eventually a break in long-running efforts to extradite her back home.
“We remain committed to seeing this through, no matter how long it takes, no matter how far the trail goes,” Spencer continued. “We are grateful for the FBI’s continued partnership and for the public’s support in keeping this case alive. With Cindy Singh now on the Top 10 list, we believe we are one step closer to finding her and finding answers.”
Since its inception in 1950, 537 fugitives have appeared on the FBI’s list and 497 have been apprehended or located. Most of those successful apprehensions came by way of tips received from citizens, according to the FBI.
