The search for a north Texas boy who has reportedly not been seen for several months has been upgraded from missing person to endangered missing person. Authorities are still looking for 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, who was reported missing on March 25. Noel, who has black hair and brown eyes, was last seen at the home he shared with his 37-year-old mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, his stepfather, four siblings, and two twin half-siblings.
Noel lived with his mother in a dwelling in the backyard of a home on the property. He is said to have severe health problems, including chronic lung disease that occasionally requires him to get additional oxygen so he can breathe. When Noel was reported missing, an Amber Alert was issued on his behalf. The following day, the report was changed to an Endangered Missing Person alert.
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Police conducted a welfare check after an anonymous source said they hadn't seen Noel.
The investigation into Noelâs whereabouts began when an anonymous source contacted Child Protective Services saying they hadnât seen Noel since November, KENS 5 reported. CPS reached out to police, who conducted a welfare check. During the check, authorities spoke to Rodriguez-Singh.
Noel's mother said he had been living with his biological father in Mexico.
CPS investigators tracked down Noelâs father. He had reportedly been deported to Mexico before Noelâs birth and told CPS agents that he had never met his son, KENS 5 reported.
Police verified the manâs claims and tried to contact Rodriguez-Singh again. They were unable to reach her.
Police discovered Noel's mother, stepfather, and siblings boarded a flight to Turkey.
Police issued a warrant for Rodriguez-Singhâs arrest for making false claims regarding a missing person. Authorities stated that this is not the first time Noelâs mother has been the subject of a CPS investigation.
Unable to locate his mother, police issued an Amber Alert for Noel on Saturday night. That same night, police learned Rodriguez-Singh, Noelâs stepfather, and his six siblings had traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, earlier in the week.
The family was ultimately traveling to India.
Noel was not listed on the passenger manifest. Authorities found the familyâs car at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, according to the Dallas Morning News. Inside the vehicle, they found an electronic visa for one of Noelâs siblings. The visa was for a trip to India, where Noelâs stepfather is from. The flight had a layover in Turkey. The visa had been obtained on March 21, after police spoke to Rodriguez-Singh.
Police are pleading for anyone with information to come forward.
Police said they have not obtained any evidence to suggest that Noel is dead or has been trafficked.
âHe could be anywhere,â Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said during a news conference. âItâs hard to speculate whether heâs dead or alive, to be quite honest with you. I tend to be an optimist, so Iâm going to believe that heâs alive and Iâm going to keep pursuing this case the best that we can to try to find him.â
In the meantime, Spencer pleaded with anyone with even the slightest bit of information about Noelâs case to come forward. âItâs going to be that one small tip that comes in thatâs going to snowball into a much bigger breakthrough in this investigation,â he said.
