EVERMAN, Texas — Monday marked one year since authorities issued an Amber Alert for Noel Rodriguez Alvarez, the 6-year-old who went missing in Everman.
At the center of the criminal investigation is Noel’s mother and stepfather, who fled with six of Noel’s siblings on a plane to Turkey, then to India in March 2023. Despite the fact Noel's mother was indicted by a grand jury on a capital murder charge, authorities overseas haven't found or arrested her, and Noel's body still hasn't been found.
"Children shouldn’t go through what Noel went through," Everman Mayor Ray Richardson told WFAA Monday.
Richardson said he's been asked by Everman residents about the investigation every day of the last year.
"They will corner me and say, 'anything new on Noel?" he explained. "I went to a meeting the other day. The first thing people ask me is, 'what’s happening with Noel?'"
"To me it’s heartbreaking," he said, teary eyed. "Things like that shouldn’t happen to a child."
Police in Everman say they’re still waiting for authorities abroad to arrest and bring her back, and hope that might lead them finally to Noel’s remains.
Until then, Richardson said the town has spent the last year working to keep Noel’s memory alive. The city dedicated a playground to Noel recently. The equipment is inclusive, suitable for children like Noel who had developmental and physical disabilities.
"Hopefully he sees a playground he would’ve enjoyed coming to," he said. "Hopefully he’s looking down with a smile on his face. It’s a reminder of Noel, but it’s an unfinished story. Until we get the mother back here and find out where he’s at then it’s a book without an ending."