Everman to name all-new inclusive playground after 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez

The name Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez will now be a part of Everman after a vote from city leaders.

The Everman City Council approved a resolution late Tuesday to name a new playground after the 6-year-old boy, who is presumed dead and has been missing for seven months. Local authorities have been searching for Noel since March 25, seeking help from federal and state agencies and others across North Texas.

The city council passed the resolution to name an all-new inclusive playground, which has not yet been built, at Clyde Pittman Park after Noel. Tarrant County gave the city funding to pay for an expansion of the park and the construction of the playground, Mayor Ray Richardson said in a news release.

“We cannot think of a more fitting way to honor the impact that Noel has made on this community, and so many more across our state and country,” Richardson said in the release.

At the council meeting, police chief Craig Spencer said all the park equipment will be compliant with the American Disabilities Act and “designed specifically for children with social, developmental and physical challenges.”

In his release, Richardson said the playground is “for all children, especially those just like Noel.” Noel is diagnosed with several illnesses, including speech delay, esotropia in both eyes and chronic lung disease among others, a search-warrant affidavit said.

Spencer said Whirlix, the company the county approved to expand the park, plans to provide significant upgrades beyond what was originally approved and also plans to add signs at the park with a photo of Noel along with a QR code that people can scan to learn more about him. He added the organizations involved in the construction of the playground are donating more than $47,000 worth of upgrades, specifically for Noel.

The city council voted to tweak the name of the playground to remove mentions of Noel’s mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh. Instead, it will be called the Noel Angel Alvarez Playground, using the boy’s middle name. At the meeting, Richardson said residents voiced concerns saying his mother “doesn’t deserve the recognition.”

Officials say construction of the playground is expected to begin later this summer, with an opening set for early fall.

Police are still searching for the boy. Investigators are still active, and Everman police have not received any updates from its federal partners, Spencer said in a statement to reporters Friday.

“Currently, I have asked for a fresh team of investigators to review the case to assure that nothing has been overlooked as a part of the initial investigation,” Spencer added in a statement.

Police last held a news conference about the search for Noel on April 25 where they said before Noel’s family fled to India, his stepfather, Arshdeep Singh, stole $10,000 in cash from his employer.

Arshdeep Singh faces a felony theft charge in addition to a felony charge of abandoning or endangering a child. Cindy Rodriguez-Singh also faces a charge of abandoning or endangering a child, and police are working with federal agencies to extradite them to the U.S.

Police were tipped off to the boy’s disappearance March 20 when Child Protective Investigations requested a welfare check for him at his residence after officials received a report he had not been seen in months. Law enforcement issued an Amber Alert five days later.

Two days after the welfare check, police said Rodriguez-Singh and Arshdeep Singh took six of her children with them and boarded a plane to Turkey, with their final destination being India.

In early, April, investigators turned over an Everman home looking for any signs of the boy, and a new search of the patio led them to believe there were once human remains contained within a shed at the property.

Police believe the boy’s last known public appearance was mid- to late-October.