Flowers, stuffed animals, toys and pinwheels cover the pavement at Everman Memorial Park, where a wooden cross and shimmering angel figurine stand in memory of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez.
In the weeks following the identification of his remains found in the backyard of his former home on May 14, the community of Everman in south Fort Worth has come together to grieve, honor and remember the life of the 6-year-old.
Rodriguez-Alvarez had been missing since October 2022 and was presumed dead. His mother, Cindy Rodriguez Singh, is charged with his capital murder.
After a search that spanned over three years, Everman Police Chief Al Brooks said the discovery “opened an unhealed wound” for the community.
“It brings out a lot of emotion for everybody, for our staff, for the citizens, and of course for Noel's family as well,” Brooks said.
With a population of around 7,000, the Everman community is small and tight-knit, and some say Rodriguez-Alvarez's story has cut deep.
'Forever a Bulldog'
Some members of the community are finding other ways to honor Rodriguez-Alvarez.
Everman ISD students and staff celebrated the last day of the school year on May 21 by wearing light blue— Noel’s favorite color.
But Bishop Elementary fourth grader Luna Dominguez had a better idea. Dominguez, who turned 10 on Friday, said her birthday wish was to do something to honor Noel.
At the end of the school year, the school celebrates each of their students with awards, Bishop Principal Ronna Montgomery said. Dominguez, alongside her 6-year-old brother, Liam, wrote Montgomery a letter asking to give up one of their awards to Noel.
“We would like to do this in his honor, to symbolically give him a small piece of what was taken from him, to give him a bit of light in this moment, of the same light that was once taken away,” the letter read.
Montgomery awarded Rodriguez-Alvarez the “Forever a Bulldog” award after the school mascot, which Dominguez received on his behalf.
"I heard that Noel didn't really get to have a full life like us, and he didn't get to really have fun and stuff, so I wanted to give this to him in honor to make him laugh, smile, and to give a round of applause to him,” Dominguez said. “And to make him happy.”
She placed the award at his memorial in a small ceremony last Thursday organized by Dominguez’s mother, Lluvia Martínez. The group of Martínez's friends and family prayed for Rodriguez-Alvarez and gave him a round of applause— which makes every kid feel like a superhero, Martínez said.
“That was our intention with Noel. For him from heaven to be looking down and see how many people really, you know, love this story,” Martínez said. “They're behind them. They're praying for him and how it has saddened all of our hearts for his light to be turned off at such an early age.”
Although Martínez and her family did not know Rodriguez-Alvarez personally, as a mom, she said his story hits close to home. Rodriguez-Alvarez was Liam’s age when he disappeared and would be Luna’s age today.
“It’s really hard for mamas because this is a small community,” she said. “I don't know most of the parents or kids, and I still say hi to them, and they wave to me, you know? And it's very emotional. And to know that one of those kids might not smile tomorrow is heartbreaking.”
While Rodriguez-Alvarez was never enrolled in Everman ISD, Montgomery said he will be a part of the community forever.
"There's always room for kindness and love,” Montgomery said. “These students have brought something very special to a tragedy and so it's just been overwhelming and heartwarming.”
The memorial will remain in place until Rodriguez-Alvarez is laid to rest, which depends on the ongoing investigation and will be organized through his surviving family, Brooks said.
"The intent is to have an appropriate, respectful memorial service," Brooks said.
In November 2023, the city opened a playground at Clyde Pittman Park dedicated to Rodriguez-Alvarez, which was designed to be inclusive for children who suffer from physical disabilities like he did.
The criminal investigation and prosecution of Rodriguez Singh are ongoing as officials continue to work toward bringing Rodriguez-Alvarez justice, Brooks said. Rodriguez Singh has been deemed incompetent to stand trial.
“Noel will never be forgotten”, he said. “I've heard people say, well, with the recovery, now you have some closure. No, we don’t. This is just the next step in a long and arduous task to seek justice for Noel. And that's not over. It won't be over for quite some time.”
As the investigation continues, Brooks said the community has shown up in numbers to pay their respects to Rodriguez-Alvarez at the memorial. The memorial is located at 501 N Race St. and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“(The case) has deeply touched so, so many people,” Brooks said. “I just hope that Noel realizes how many friends, although he never met them, how many he has touched and how many have been working so hard to get justice for him.”
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