US mother who fled to India indicted for murder of minor son

New York, Nov 1

A US woman, who fled to India in March this year with her Indian-origin husband, has been indicted by a grand jury in the state of Texas for the murder of her missing six-year-old son with special needs.

Cindy Rodriguez-Singh boarded a flight to India with Arshdeep Singh and her six other children just before a welfare check at the family's home in Everman found Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez missing.

Police continue to search for Noel, who was last seen in late October or early November last year in a hospital where his twin sisters were born.

Witnesses told police that he appeared "unhealthy and malnourished".

Cindy, who "severely abused and neglected" the child, faces charges of capital murder, two counts of injury to a child, and one count of abandoning without the intent to return in the disappearance of Noel, police said.

"These indictments will significantly support our effort to apprehend and extradite Cindy back to the US," Everman Police Chief Craig Spencer said at a press conference on Monday.

Noel was one of the 10 children born to Cindy. Three siblings lived with their grandparents, while Noel and the others lived with their mother in a shed in Everman.

At the time of welfare check, Cindy told police that Noel was in Mexico with his biological father, which investigators later found out to be false.

Police investigations found that Cindy neglected and abused Noel, which included depriving that child with food and water.

She had reportedly told relatives that the child was "evil" or "possessed".

According to multiple media reports, Noel was born prematurely and suffered from several physical disabilities and developmental disorders.

The FBI and other US federal agencies have been working to extradite Cindy after arrest warrants were issued against them for abandoning and endangering Noel.

According to local media reports, Arshdeep reportedly disposed off a carpet in an outdoor dumpster the day before the family's hurried departure to India.

Noel's body is yet to be found with dozens of search and rescue volunteers scouring hundreds of acres near the boy's home in Wisteria Drive for clues.

According to NBC 5 channel, in April, cadaver dogs assisting investigators at the child's home on Wisteria Drive "alerted" to a discarded rug and topsoil underneath a recently poured porch at the home the family rented.

The "alert," police said, indicated human remains had been present at some time in the past, however, no physical evidence was found that could be tested and identified.

Spencer said failure to find Noel would not stop them from pressing charges against his mother.

"The reality is that there are times, there are situations where we may not ever find a body," he said.

"That doesn't preclude the DA's (District Attorney) office from being able to push this case forward and get a murder conviction on the case."