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Search continues for missing Texas boy as his family leaves country

Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez is listed as an Endangered Missing Person, according to police.

EVERMAN, Texas — The search continues for a 6-year-old North Texas boy who had been reported missing on Saturday.

An AMBER Alert was initially issued out of Everman on Saturday for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez. On Sunday, the report was changed to an Endangered Missing Persons alert.

The boy was reportedly last seen at a home along the 3700 block of Wisteria Drive, which is where he and his mother, 37-year-old Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, lived, according to police. Police later clarified that the boy and his family lived in a dwelling in the backyard of the home.

Noel was described as having black hair and brown eyes. He is about 4 feet tall and weighs 90 pounds.

Police said the boy has severe health problems and, at times, requires oxygen to breathe.

Some family members told authorities that they hadn't seen Noel since November, police said.

The investigation so far

Details emerged over the weekend that Noel's immediate family -- his mother, his stepfather and his six siblings -- boarded a flight to Turkey on the Thursday prior to the AMBER Alert being issued, and that the boy was not on the passenger manifest, according to Everman police. 

Police said it was later confirmed that the flight the family took later headed from Turkey to India. Police are still working to confirm if the family boarded the flight to India from Turkey.

During their investigation, police said, authorities located a vehicle connected to the Endangered Missing Persons report in a parking garage at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, but found the car to be unoccupied.

Police said they found an electronic travel visa for one of the children inside the vehicle but authorities did not specify to which child the visa belonged.

On Monday, police said they were conducting a secondary search at the home where the family lives. While police said they have no evidence that the boy is dead, authorities used cadaver dogs during Monday's search of the residence.

Police on Monday also said they were looking into rumors that the boy may have been sold. Police said they have no evidence that this is the case, but they are still working to find more information.

Police also added that there is currently no criminal evidence against the boy's family regarding his disappearance.

"There is no doubt in my mind, I know she never hurt him," said the landlord who owns the home where Rodriguez-Singh and her children resided. 

During the interview with the landlord, he shared with WFAA that Rodriguez-Singh knocked on his door about 10 years ago to ask if she could park in front of the house where she and her children would sleep for the night. 

It was cold outside according to the landlord, so he invited them to stay in two of his bedrooms not being used. That started a long friendship and eventually, they started staying in a building out back, using the house for cooking, bathing, and other necessities.

The landlord keeps a framed photo of Noel on the living room wall and hopes he is found soon. 

Timeline before AMBER Alert

On Monday, March 20, investigators with Child Protective Services contacted Everman police about Noel after an anonymous source told CPS that they hadn't seen the child since November.

Police said they conducted a welfare check, and that the child's mother, Rodriguez-Singh, told them that Noel had been with his biological father in Mexico.

On Thursday, March 23, CPS investigators told police that they tracked down the boy's father, who said he had been deported to Mexico prior to Noel's birth, and that he's never met his child.

Police said CPS investigators determined the father's statements to be true. When police tried to contact Rodriguez-Singh again, officials said, they couldn't reach her.

According to police, a warrant was then issued for Rodriguez-Singh's arrest on charges of making false reports regarding a missing person. Police also added that Rodriguez-Singh has been the subject of prior CPS investigations.

On Saturday, March 25, Everman police issued an AMBER Alert for Noel. 

It was on Saturday night that police learned Rodriguez-Singh, Noel's stepfather and his six siblings had boarded a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, on Thursday.

Police then called off the AMBER Alert and changed the case to an Endangered Missing Persons case through the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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