Authorities in Everman, Texas, announced Thursday that human remains were discovered behind the former home of missing 6-year-old Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez, marking a major development in the years-long investigation.

Everman Police Chief Al Brooks confirmed that the remains were recovered during a legally authorized search operation conducted at the property where Noel once lived with his family. The remains have been transferred to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office for forensic testing and official identification. Police emphasized that no positive identification has yet been made.

The discovery came after investigators spent two days searching the backyard of the home on Wisteria Drive with assistance from the FBI and the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office. Aerial footage showed crews digging through sections of the property and later focusing on a specific area covered by canopies as specialized equipment arrived at the scene.

Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez was last seen alive in the fall of 2022, but authorities were not notified about his disappearance until March 2023. Investigators later accused his mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, of lying about the boy’s whereabouts, claiming he was living with his biological father in Mexico. Authorities said she fled to India with her husband and Noel’s siblings shortly afterward — without Noel.

Rodriguez-Singh, who was later placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list, was arrested in India last year and returned to the United States. She faces a capital murder charge in connection with Noel’s disappearance, although the child’s remains had not previously been located.