Missing Texas boy feared dead, US police seeks extradition of parents

A missing 6yearold boy from Texas whose parents fled to India from the US and face felony charges of abandoning and endangering their child is believed to be dead a top police official has said Noel RodriguezAlvarez who has special needs was last seen in November shortly after his twin sisters were born in October last yearEverman Police Chief Craig Spencer said on Thursday that the search for the missing boy is now a death investigation and they are attempting to locate and recover his body We currently have active felony warrants for the arrest of the mother Cindy Rodriguez Singh and Arshdeep Singh for abandoning and endangering a child which is a seconddegree felony Spencer said at a press conferenceWe want these fugitives arrested and extradited to the United States so that we can seek answers for the disappearance of Noel he said Noel was one of ten children to Cindy 37 Three siblings reportedly lived with grandparents while Noel and the others lived with their mother in squalor in a shed in Everman a suburb of Fort WorthSingh the boys Indianorigin stepfather also lived in the filthy shack The search for Noel began after the Texas Department of Family Services asked on March 20 that police in Everman conduct a welfare check Everman police have said On March 22 Noels mother Cindy her husband and six children got on a plane and travelled to India Spencer said adding Noel was not with them NBC News quoted police as saying Authorities have issued warrants for the arrest of Cindy and her husband Singh on felony charges of abandoning and endangering a child They are trying for the extradition of the couple from India where they fled in March days after police began investigating an anonymous tip that Noel had been missing since NovemberWe are working with our federal partners and they are engaged with us Theyre on the case working side by side As we get more information we will update the police said We rely on our relationship with international agencies When they have information to share back with us theyll obviously communicate that with us but theyre working on it Spencer said in response to a question on status update with the Indian government He said the circumstantial evidence paired with interviews and work that has eliminated all other possibilities has led police to believe that Noel is dead Investigators came to the conclusion that Noel was likely dead after disproving multiple lies regarding his whereabouts told by CindyAlso read Drunk man on board DelhiBengaluru flight attempts to open emergency exit midairThe lies include that the boy was in Mexico with his biological father or aunt and that he had been sold to a stranger at a local grocery fiesta market parking lot However thanks to technology interviews search warrants and the assistance of authorities in Mexico investigators verified each one of these claims Throughout the investigation we learned that Cindy had been known to be abusive and neglectful Spencer said He said investigators learned through interviews that Cindy referred to Noel as evil possessed or having a demon in him and believed he would harm the twinsRelatives and witnesses stated that food and water were often withheld from Noel because Cindy did not like changing Noels dirty diapers A relative even witnessed Cindy strike Noel in the face with keys because he drank water he said When Noel was last seen he was described as appearing unhealthy and malnourished Spencer said Authorities previously disclosed Noel was born prematurely and had several physical disabilities and developmental disordersThey also described his mother as having an extensive criminal history and explained she was the subject of a previous investigation by Child Protective Services the New York Post reported The pair are believed to have fled to Singhs home country of India before the warrants were issued it said The City of Everman plans to hold a candlelight vigil for Noel at 830 pm on Monday at the Everman Civic Center On November 1 last year Cindy obtained passport photographs of all the children living with her except for NoelThe next day she applied for passports for herself and all six of the children except for Noel Investigators continue to work tirelessly to comb through all of the electronic data and other information that has been obtained through a multitude of search warrants We have not located any information that would suggest the child has been sold for traffic We have additionally been able to disprove stories that Noel was given to other family members Spencer said Although the course of this investigation has changed our commitments we will continue to fight for Noel he assertedThe following steps in the investigation will be to try to determine possible locations to search for the boys remains We are engaging with several experts and highly qualified organisations to assist us in this venture Some organised searches have already begun and are expected to continue in the coming days Spencer said The couple lived mostly in a converted shed in the backyard of their home on Wisteria Drive Noel and some of his siblings mostly stayed in bedrooms in the main house according to homeowner Charles Parson Investigators thoroughly searched the property including digging under a concrete patio that Cindy paid to have installed But the search has not led to evidence of Noels location police saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever