Authorities in Texas said they have found and identified the remains of 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, who went missing in 2022 and was presumed dead. His mother has been accused in his death.

Noel's remains were discovered during an excavation at the home where he once lived in Everman, Texas, a city of about 6,500 residents just outside Fort Worth, according to the FBI's Dallas field office and Everman police. Noel was last seen in October 2022 and was reported missing months later in March 2023, authorities said.

Noel, who had developmental and physical disabilities, has been presumed dead for years but was never found until now, the FBI said. His identity was confirmed using dental records, officials said.

His mother, 41-year-old Cindy Rodriguez Singh, was indicted for capital murder but had fled the country for India during the investigation into Noel's disappearance along with the boy's stepfather and six of her other children, the FBI said.

Authorities accused her of abusing and neglecting Noel. Rodriguez Singh was placed on the FBI's Most Wanted Fugitive list and was found, arrested and extradited back to the United States in 2025. She was found incompetent to stand trial in April 2026 and was ordered to a state hospital, the FBI said.

"This case has weighed heavily on our community from the beginning," said Tarrant County District Attorney Phil Sorrells in a statement. "Noel was a child whose life mattered. He deserved protection, care, and love. Instead, he became the victim of an unthinkable crime."

Noel was last seen in October 2022 at a hospital when his mother gave birth to twins, and appeared unhealthy at the time, officials have said. In March 2023, police went to the family's home to check on him at the request of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the FBI previously said.

Two days after being questioned, Rodriguez Singh, her husband and six children boarded a flight to India.

Investigators said prior to his death, Noel's mother failed to give him appropriate care for issues that included chronic lung disease, pulmonary edema, and esotropia. The mother had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, prompting her children to be placed into foster care previously, the FBI previously said in a news release.

Rodriguez Singh was charged with capital murder, two counts of injury to a child, and one count of abandoning without the intent to return.

Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman and Amanda Lee Myers

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Remains of Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez found years after boy went missing