Mother in Missing Boy's Death Found Unfit for Trial

Noel Rodriguez Alvarez was six years old, and he had intellectual disabilities. He was last seen in October 2022 in Everman, Texas - a small city just south of Fort Worth. His family did not report him missing until March 2023, four months after he disappeared. His body has never been recovered.

Witnesses who came forward following an Amber Alert told police that Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, had been abusive toward the boy - that she called him “evil” and “possessed.” Police declared Noel dead in 2023. Charges followed. But Singh and her husband Arshdeep had already fled the country with their other children, traveling to India just days after the Amber Alert was issued.

From Fugitive to Extradited

For nearly two years, Cindy Rodriguez Singh was a fugitive. The FBI added her to its Ten Most Wanted list in July 2025 - a designation reserved for subjects considered among the most dangerous and elusive in the country. A $25,000 reward had been offered for information leading to her arrest as early as 2024.

In August 2025, she was arrested in India. Extradition proceedings followed, and Singh was eventually transferred to the Tarrant County Jail, where her bond was set at $10 million. When CBS News Texas spoke with Everman Police Chief Al Brooks at the time of her arrest, he was careful to note that it was only the midpoint of the case - that justice for Noel remained the goal, and that many questions were still unanswered.

A Ruling That Delays Everything

On April 6, 2026, CBS Texas reported that Singh had been found incompetent to stand trial following a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation had been ordered on March 26. Under Texas law, a defendant found incompetent cannot be tried until they are restored to competency - a process that can take months or, in some cases, years.

The ruling does not mean Singh will never face trial. It means that proceedings are paused while the court determines whether she can be restored to a state where she understands the charges against her and can assist in her own defense. No new trial date has been set.

What Justice Looks Like for Noel

Noel Rodriguez Alvarez was never found. There is no grave, no recovered remains, no physical marker of a life that ended before he reached his seventh birthday. The Everman Police Department declared him dead based on witness testimony, circumstantial evidence, and the conclusion that a child with intellectual disabilities could not have survived on his own.

For the community that searched for him, and for investigators who spent years building a case across two continents, the competency ruling is another pause in a case that has already moved slowly. Chief Brooks told reporters at the time of Singh’s arrest that bringing justice for Noel was the goal - not just the arrest, but the full accounting that only a trial can deliver.

A Case Still Unresolved

The Tarrant County case against Cindy Rodriguez Singh will continue to move through the court system. Her husband, Arshdeep Singh, was also charged in connection with the case. The charges against Cindy include the murder of her son and related offenses tied to his disappearance.

Until Singh is restored to competency - if that happens - Noel’s case remains suspended between the horror of what witnesses described and the justice his family and investigators have spent years pursuing. A boy who was called “evil” by the person who was supposed to protect him has not yet received an answer in a courtroom. His mother, for now, will not face one.

References: North Texas Mom Accused in Son’s Murder Found Incompetent to Stand Trial | North Texas Mother Found Incompetent to Stand Trial in 6-Year-Old Son’s Death