Police in Texas, are searching for a young girl who has been missing for seven years. Her mother, Virginia Gonzales, was recently arrested on different charges, including drug possession. It was during that arrest that they say they found a child locked in a closet. The child was allegedly malnourished.
This discovery led to an investigation into the safety of the other children in the household. While it seems that they may be healthy, no one knows what happened to one of the siblings. Now, police are trying to get answers about what could have happened to the sister who is missing.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, the grandmother of a 7-year-old girl found her “malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet,” per ABC News. The grandmother was at Gonzales’ home after the 33-year-old Austin resident was arrested and charged with marijuana possession.
Gonzales had allegedly barricaded the young girl in the closet. She was reportedly only fed either a hot dog or corn dog, and was only given a half-cup of water every day. The child was immediately taken to the hospital, where it was found she only weighed 29 pounds. According to Austin Detective Russell Constable, she is recovering.
Police said that there were six other children in the home, ranging in age from 2 to 14. They all appeared to be physically healthy. During the investigation, the authorities learned that there was an eighth child, Ava Marie Gonzales. Ava wasn’t in the home, and hasn’t been seen by family or friends since 2017. She was 2 years old when anyone last saw her. At the time, she was in the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales.
“Austin Police Department’s missing person detectives are seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare, given the circumstances in which Ava’s 7-year-old sibling was found,” Constable said.
The girl has not been reported missing by her mother or any other family members. Austin Police are trying to identify her father. Constable said the girl’s mother “provided conflicting information to many different family members” about Ava’s whereabouts. Gonzales has given police some information about Ava. Currently, police are trying to corroborate the information.
Additionally, none of Gonzales’ children are enrolled in school, Constable said.
Virginia Gonzales was charged with injury to a child after the discovery of the 7-year-old girl. She is currently being held in the Travis County Correctional Complex on a $75,000 bond. According to online jail records ABC News retrieved, she is scheduled to be in court next week.
Anyone with information regarding Ava Marie Gonzales’ whereabouts are encouraged to email [email protected]. Or they can anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 512-572-8477.
If you suspect child abuse, you can call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-Child), or go to Childhelp.org. The hotline is available 24/7.
