The family of a missing Texas boy may have sold him before fleeing the country to India, law enforcement says, while the investigation into his disappearance continues.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said that Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, 6, who hasn’t been seen in months, has severe health problems and investigators are concerned he’s not getting the care he needs.
On Monday, police found the family’s truck at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport with a receipt indicating that a visa was recently obtained. Flight records show that Noel’s family boarded the plane without him.
“There is a distinct possibility that he has been sold,” Spencer said, adding that at this time, it’s speculation and the child remains missing.
“That visa indicated that it was obtained on March 21, one day after the welfare check. We believe that the family has traveled back to India.”
The investigation began on March 20, when police received an anonymous tip that Noel hadn’t been seen since November. Extended family members confirmed that they, too, had not seen him since November.
WION reports that officials tried to locate the mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, who is alleged to have avoided contact with them. When a Child Protective Services investigator ultimately reach her at the family home off Wisteria Drive in Everman, they learned that Noel was missing, and the mother, who was reportedly evasive, claimed that he went to Mexico with his father.
“It appeared to the [child protective services] investigator that the mother was intentionally evading authorities,” Spencer said.
When police spoke to the child’s father, he said he had never met or seen the boy. Homeland Security later confirmed that the father had left been deported to Mexico shortly before Noel’s birth.
On March 23, Child Protectives Services and law enforcement learned that Noel’s four siblings, ages 7 through 11, had been absent from school and his mother contacted the school about un-enrolling them.
“What I do know is that a 6-year-old, severely disabled boy cannot be accounted for and is missing, the mother has not been willing to cooperate with investigators to help us simply assure the child is safe and we desperately need the public’s help,” Spencer said.
Also on March 23, police learned that the family, including the mother, stepfather, and six children (including Noel’s 5-month-old twin half-siblings), boarded a plane to India, with a layover in Istanbul, Turkey.
So far, police have no physical evidence of foul play or an abduction.
“We are coming up empty-handed on every traditional aspect,” Spencer said. “It’s going to be that one small tip that snowballs.”
DISCONTINUE AMBER ALERT for Noel Rodriguez Alvarez from Everman, TX, on 03/25/2023, TX plate PLS7091 pic.twitter.com/WlyQo5bibL
— Texas Alerts (@TX_Alerts) March 26, 2023
On Sunday, police discontinued the AMBER Alert, claiming that there is no need to believe that the other children are in danger.
Police added that the AMBER Alert discontinuation does not mean they’ll stop searching for him.
“This change does not affect the course of our investigation,” Spencer said. “We plan to continue to investigate this case to the fullest of our capabilities.”
Anyone with information should contact the Everman Police Department at (817) 293-2923 or call 911 immediately.
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[Feature Photo via Evanston police]
