Officials said the remains had not yet been identified as Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez.
EVERMAN, Texas — Human remains were found behind the former home of missing 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez during a renewed search this week, authorities said Thursday, marking the biggest public development in a case that began more than three years ago.
Everman police, the FBI and the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced the discovery after investigators returned to the Wisteria Drive property where Noel once lived with his family. Officials said the remains were sent to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for testing and had not been positively identified. Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, is charged with capital murder in connection with his presumed death. Her criminal case has been delayed after a court found her incompetent to stand trial.
Everman Police Chief Al Brooks said the remains were found during a legally authorized search at Noel’s former residence. “No official identification has been made,” Brooks said at a Thursday briefing. The search focused on the backyard of the home in the 3700 block of Wisteria Drive. Investigators had been at the property for days, using tents, digging equipment and forensic teams. NBC 5 reported that crews loaded a large tarp containing something heavy into a van Wednesday afternoon and drove it to the medical examiner’s office.
The search began Monday and continued through Wednesday afternoon, drawing police, FBI agents, sheriff’s deputies, medical examiner staff and prosecutors to the residential street. Aerial footage showed investigators working in one section of the yard, where canopies were moved over a hole as the search narrowed. Current resident Amber Duffins told NBC 5 that police moved her family to a hotel while the search continued. She said the work became more serious when investigators blocked the view of a specific area in the yard.
Brooks said investigators had been retracing steps in the case and checking earlier work. He said the process was painful for officers who had followed Noel’s disappearance from the start. “We focus on Noel,” Brooks said. “He deserves justice.” Officials did not say what led them to the exact search area, how deep the remains were found or whether the remains appeared to be those of a child. Prosecutors said releasing some details could harm the pending criminal case against Rodriguez Singh.
Noel was last known to have been seen alive in October 2022, but authorities were not alerted until March 2023. The FBI said Everman officers conducted a welfare check on March 20, 2023, at the request of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Rodriguez Singh told officers that Noel was living with his biological father in Mexico, according to the FBI. Investigators later said that account was false. Noel was not with his father and had not been on a flight out of the country with the rest of the family.
Two days after the welfare check, Rodriguez Singh, her husband, Arshdeep Singh, and six other children boarded an international flight to India, the FBI said. Noel was not with them. Police later moved the case from a missing child investigation to a death investigation. Investigators said family members and witnesses reported that Noel, who had physical and developmental disabilities, had been abused and neglected. They said witnesses described him as malnourished and said Rodriguez Singh had claimed the boy was “evil” and “possessed.”
The case drew national attention as authorities searched for Rodriguez Singh overseas. In July 2025, the FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The FBI said she was wanted in Tarrant County, where she faced a capital murder charge tied to Noel’s death. Indian authorities located her in 2025, and the FBI returned her to the United States in August. She was booked into Tarrant County custody after her return. The FBI said the investigation involved Everman police, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office, the Texas Rangers and federal agents.
Rodriguez Singh was indicted in Tarrant County on charges including capital murder. She has not been tried. In April, KERA reported that district court records showed she had been deemed incompetent to stand trial, delaying the case while she receives treatment meant to restore competency. Under Texas law, a case cannot move to trial unless a defendant can understand the charges and help with a defense. The court finding did not resolve the criminal case or decide guilt.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells said Wednesday, before the official remains announcement, that investigators had found evidence at the property and that the case was still moving. “Clearly there was some evidence that was found,” Sorrells told CBS News Texas. By Thursday, officials confirmed the evidence included human remains. At the news conference, Sorrells said the prosecution remained focused on seeking justice for Noel. Officials said the remains were in medical examiner custody and forensic work would determine identification.
The property had been searched early in the investigation, but no remains were found then. Police said this week’s search was part of the continuing case, not a separate investigation. Neighbors watched as law enforcement returned to the quiet street with shovels, trailers and crime scene tape. The search revived attention in Everman, a small Tarrant County city south of Fort Worth, where Noel’s case has been followed closely since 2023. A park in the city has also been linked to community efforts to remember him.
Officials said several questions remained unanswered Thursday. The medical examiner had not publicly identified the remains. Investigators had not released a cause or manner of death tied to the remains. Prosecutors had not announced new charges after the discovery. Rodriguez Singh’s case remained paused by the competency ruling, and no trial date had been set. The district attorney’s office said the case was active and that some evidence details would stay private to protect the prosecution.
The next milestone is the medical examiner’s identification process. Authorities said the remains recovered from the Wisteria Drive property were being examined Thursday, while prosecutors continued preparing the capital murder case against Rodriguez Singh.
Author note: Last updated Thursday, May 14, 2026.