Texas girl not seen since 2017 reported missing after sister found starving in closet
Texas authorities are looking for a nine-year-old girl who was last seen more than seven years ago after her mother was arrested in Austin last month on suspicion of starving a different child in a closet.
Ava Marie Gonzales, 9, was just two years old when she was last seen by friends and family in December 2017, but was never reported missing until recently, according to the Austin Police Department.
"We just don't know where she is right now," police spokesperson Russell Constable said at a news conference on May 6. "What we're trying to figure out is her current status, where she is, who she's with and if she's safe and healthy."
Austin police learned of Ava's disappearance after responding to an emergency call on April 3 to help a 7-year-old girl who was locked in a closet starving, Constable said. He added that the child was taken to a local hospital and is currently recovering.
Authorities also located six other children in the home who appeared healthy but discovered that an eighth child was nowhere to be seen, Constable added. That child was later identified as Ava Marie Gonzales.
Mother arrested, charged with child abuse
On April 24, officers arrested Ava's mother, 33-year-old Virginia Marie Gonzales. She has been since been charged with causing serious injury to a child, according to the Travis County District Clerk.
She is currently held at the Travis County Correctional Complex with a bail set for $75,000, jail records show.
USA TODAY has reached out to Gonzales' attorney for comment.
Constable said Gonzales provided conflicting information to many different family members regarding Ava's whereabouts.
7-year-old weighed 29 pounds, affidavit says
An arrest affidavit states Gonzales is accused of locking the 7-year-old girl in a closet for "weeks at a time," according to local station KTBC. The child was reportedly found "malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet."
Medical staff found the girl weighed 29 pounds and had dark-colored spots covering her body, a sign of malnourishment, KTBC reported, citing the affidavit. She also reportedly told staff that her "bones hurt."
The grandmother told police the girl had issues controlling her bladder and continuously tried to eat things she shouldn't, so her siblings were ordered to keep her in the closest, KTBC reported. An older sibling told police the child was only given half a cup of water and would only eat a "hotdog/corndog in the morning and in the evening."
Officers reportedly found a fridge stacked with various food options, per KTBC.
The closet the girl was trapped in was about 4 feet 9 inches by 1 foot 10 inches, and had other items inside leaving less room for the trapped child, according to KTBC.
Progressed photo used to show what Ava could look like
Ava is a 9-year-old Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes, Austin police said. Her weight and height are unknown as she hasn't been seen since she was 2.
Police used a progressed photo of Ava to show what she may look like today.
The department is urging anyone with information regarding this case or Ava's whereabouts to either email ava@austintexas.gov or call anonymously at (512) 572 - 8477.
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