Human remains have been found at a Texas home as part of an investigation into the disappearance of a 6-year-old boy who hasn’t been seen in nearly four years.
A heavy law enforcement presence was observed this week outside the boy’s former residence, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. Investigators from multiple agencies announced the discovery at a joint news conference.
Everman Police Chief Al Brooks stressed that the remains have not yet been identified and are undergoing a forensic examination by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“What you’re seeing today is the result of a yearslong investigation where very diligent investigators refused to give up on Noel,” Brooks said. “I am profoundly grateful for the assistance that we have received from the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI.”
Extended family members last saw Noel alive in October 2022, according to police. An investigation was launched March 20, 2023, after the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services requested a welfare check. At the time, Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, claimed he was with his biological father in Mexico. Two days later, she left for India with her husband and six other children.
Police concluded that the boy was most likely dead, and Singh was charged in October 2023 with a state count of capital murder. She was at one point on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Singh was found by Indian authorities and returned last year to the U.S., where she was taken into custody.
Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells told reporters Thursday that Rodriguez-Singh subsequently underwent a psychological evaluation. A psychologist found her not competent to stand trial — meaning she is unable to understand the charges or participate in her own defense — though the report indicated she is expected to regain competency in the foreseeable future.
“She will stand trial for this,” Sorrells said.
Earlier in the investigation, witnesses told police that Noel was regularly neglected and abused, according to NBC Dallas Fort-Worth. Noel’s family alleged that his mother regularly withheld food and water from him because she did not like his dirty diaper.
Singh believed Noel was “evil” and “possessed,” the family told police at the time.
