EDITOR'S NOTE: Like 25 News in Waco, WFAA in Dallas is an ABC affiliate.
From WFAA
EVERMAN, Texas — The search for a missing North Texas boy continues, and a search warrant is revealing more about the case, including an investigation into a report from a family member that the 6-year-old may have been sold.
Police in Everman, Texas, have been investigating the disappearance of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez since March 20, 2023, when they received a tip from Child Protective Services (CPS). Noel, his mother, his stepfather and six siblings lived in a dwelling in the backyard of a home, which is where the child was reportedly last seen.
Some family members told authorities they hadn't seen Noel since November, police said.
Days after conducting a welfare check at the dwelling, police learned that the child's mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, the stepfather and siblings boarded a flight to Turkey and then possibly to India on March 23. Noel was not on the flight, according to police.
An Amber Alert was issued on March 25 for Noel. A day later, the alert was changed to an endangered missing person report.
A search warrant of the property where the boy and his family lived stated that police made contact with Cindy Rodriguez-Singh's family members during the investigation.
According to the warrant obtained by WFAA, Rodriguez-Singh's brother stated to investigators that she told their mother that she sold Noel to an unknown female at a Fiesta Mart. The brother also stated Rodriguez-Singh said that the unknown female should not be contacted over fears that Noel's mother could be reported to CPS, the warrant stated.
Everman police told WFAA that there has been no evidence found that the child was sold.
"We've taken it very serious and we've been investigating that allegation. The other thing to consider... there have been multiple stories told about the whereabouts of Noel over the month," Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer told WFAA.
Police had initially said that when they contacted Rodriguez-Singh on March 20 during a welfare check she told them that the 6-year-old was with his biological father in Mexico.
CPS investigators told police that they tracked down the father, who was deported to Mexico prior to Noel's birth. The father said he had never met the boy and CPS investigators determined that his statements were true, according to police.
In the warrant, Rodriguez-Singh's brother also detailed an instance when Noel and his mother visited his house about a year ago.
According to the warrant, Rodriguez-Singh allegedly told her brother not to give Noel any water "because she did not want to clean up after him if he had a dirty diaper." The warrant stated that the brother's wife gave him water anyway.
When Rodriguez-Singh found out, she allegedly struck Noel with her car keys in another room of the house, the warrant stated. The mother's brother told police he hadn't seen them since.
After searching the property where Noel and his family lived and speaking with the owner, police said on March 31 that they wouldn't be going back there unless there was new evidence.
"We are looking at everything... the home, any documents, electronic devices left behind, we're looking at cellphone and vehicle geo data," Spencer said. "We are truly leaving no stone unturned."
Endangered missing person reports continue to be renewed for the missing boy.
