The mother of a boy with special needs in Texas, who went missing in 2022, has been charged with murder after spending two years with her family in India.
Cindy Rodriguez Singh is now facing charges in connection with the death of her six-year-old son, Noel Rodriguez Alvarez.
After Noel’s disappearance, law enforcement conducted extensive searches, including demolishing parts of the family’s new porch and digging beneath the house, but no remains were discovered.
Singh became one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives after fleeing to India in March 2023 with her husband and six of her children.
While she was initially charged in November 2023, she wasn’t arrested right away since she was outside the U.S. and had not been extradited from India.
Details about how Singh was taken into custody and where this happened are unclear.
On March 20, 2023, police in Everman, Texas, performed welfare checks at the family residence. Singh claimed Noel was living with his biological father in Mexico, but officials later determined he had never met his father, who had been deported.
Singh also made other conflicting statements, suggesting that Noel was sold to someone at a grocery store. However, authorities lost track of her shortly thereafter.
Just two days following the welfare checks, Singh and her family left for India with no clear plan in place, and Noel was still missing.
The family’s living situation was troubling; they were found in a cramped, unsanitary hut with limited furnishings, and there was an altar dedicated to Santa Muerte, often associated with drug cartel worship.
Singh reportedly believed that Noel, who had health issues, was “owned by the devil.” She allegedly physically abused him and neglected his basic needs, even punishing him if he tried to feed himself.
By October 2023, police had reason to believe that Noel was likely deceased, almost a full year after he was last seen.
In addition to the murder charge, Singh faces several other accusations, including illegal flights to avoid prosecution, two counts of child injury, and a charge related to abandoning a child.
Notably, Noel was one of ten children; six accompanied Singh and her husband to India, while three remained with their grandparents.
