Girl, 7, found starving and locked in cupboard as cops search for missing sister
Ava Marie Gonzales's disappearance remained a mystery until last year, when her seven-year-old sister was found starving and locked in a closet.
A desperate search is underway for a child missing for nearly 8 years after her sister was found locked in a wardrobe starving.
Ava Marie Gonzales was reported as missing in December 2017 then aged just two-years-old. Her disappearance remained a mystery until last year, when her seven-year-old sister was found starving and locked in a closet at the family's home.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit cited by ABC News, the young girl was discovered "malnourished, soiled, and barricaded in a bedroom closet" after a 911 call was made. The child was immediately rushed to the hospital.
She is now recovering. In a public appeal earlier this week, the Austin Police Department called for help in locating Ava, now aged nine.
Detective Russell Constable expressed concern for Ava's well-being, given the circumstances of her sister's discovery.
As reported in the Mirror, he said: "The Austin Police Department is asking the community for help to find Ava Marie Gonzales. Our detectives are seriously concerned about Ava's welfare, given the circumstances in which her sibling was found.'
The child had been locked in the closet for a month and was reportedly only a hot dog or corn dog each morning. She weighed just 29 pounds when taken to hospital.
The shocking discovery was made by her grandmother during a visit to the home, who immediately called the police. Ava's mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested last month and charged with injury to a child and serious bodily injury related to the seven-year-old.
Authorities discovered six other children in the home, all appearing physically healthy.
Police have not yet identified Ava's father but are working to do so. Virginia Gonzales is currently being held on a £56,484 bond, according to inmate records from the Travis County Sheriff's Office.
In the meantime, police have released an age-progressed photo of what Ava may look like today. Ava is described as a Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes.
The appeal comes after a Michigan mum was arrested after her three kids were found living in "deplorable" conditions, amidst heaps of rubbish and excrement. The unnamed 34-year-old was arrested when her children, a 15-year-old boy and two girls aged 12 and 13, were discovered in "absolute squalor" at their Pontiac residence in February.
Officers performed a welfare check following a tip-off from the landlord who hadn't seen the mother since December, with rent unpaid since October. The kids claimed they'd been ditched by their mum back in either 2020 or 2021, fending for themselves ever since.
Inside the house the children called home was a horror show, strewn with human waste, mould, and rubbish piled up to four feet high in places. The youngsters were also clueless about basic hygiene, like using toiletries or flushing the toilet, and hadn't been to school since being left to their own devices.
The girls hadn't stepped outside for years, bedding down on old pizza boxes, while the older boy slept on a mattress on the floor, their days filled with telly and games. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard condemned the living situation as "deplorable and intolerable for an animal."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
5 hours ago
- Daily Record
Harvey Weinstein guilty of sexual assault in landmark retrial
Harvey Weinstein now faces fresh prison time after jurors found he forced a woman into a sex act in 2006. Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has been convicted of one count of sexual assault in his sex crimes retrial. The 73-year-old was acquitted of another, and jurors were as yet unable to reach a verdict on a third charge, reports the Mirror. Weinstein, who denies ever raping or assaulting anyone, sat emotionless in court as the split verdict was delivered. It marks a partial victory for both prosecutors and his defence, as the case continues to divide public opinion He denies sexually assaulting or raping anyone. His initial conviction came five years ago after the landmark #MeToo Movement. However, last year it was overturned. The case went back for a retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Now, the jury convicted the former studio boss of forcibly subjecting one to a criminal sex act in 2006. They also acquitted Weinstein of another criminal sex act charge from 2006. The jury remains in deadlock over claims he raped another woman in 2013. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a less severe penalty than the first-degree criminal sex act offence. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Jurors – seven women and five men – are now in their fifth day of deliberations and earlier today re-heard dramatic testimony from Jessica Mann, who says Weinstein raped her in a hotel room in 2013. She has waived her right to anonymity. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to raping Mann and to forcing oral sex on two other women, Mimi Haley and Kaja Sokolo. He insists that he never sexually assaulted or raped anyone. His legal team claims the women were ambitious opportunists trying to boost their careers in the movie business. Mann told the court her relationship with Weinstein started consensually but turned abusive. Despite this, it continued for some time. Weinstein was convicted in 2020 of raping her and assaulting Haley, but that conviction was overturned last year due to concerns over how the jury was influenced. Sokola added her accusation last year after New York state's highest court overturned the 2020 conviction and sent the case back for retrial. Weinstein is also appealing a 2022 rape conviction in Los Angeles. All three women in the case have waived their right to anonymity. Weinstein is facing a retrial after New York's highest court overturned his 2020 conviction last year, ruling that prejudicial testimony had unfairly influenced the original outcome. He will be retried on two of the original charges; raping an aspiring actor in a Manhattan hotel in 2013, and forcing oral sex on a production assistant in 2006. A third, unnamed woman also came forward in this retrial with fresh claims. Weinstein has pleaded not guilty to all charges. He is currently being held at Rikers Island, where his lawyers say he's endured shocking conditions. They've filed a $5 million lawsuit against New York City, claiming "substandard medical care" and unsanitary conditions. If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
Married teacher had sex with pupil in school cupboard at top private school
Philip Culling's actions were said to be an 'open secret' and he was allowed to quietly resign after having an affair with a student. A shamed deputy headteacher who performed a sex act in a cupboard with a pupil at a top private school for girls has been banned from teaching for life. Former child protection officer and father of three Philip Culling targeted the 'vulnerable' pupil at the Godolphin and Latymer School in west London. The 53-year-old director of music at the school groomed the girl, taking her out to a pub for his birthday and buying her flowers, reports the Mirror. They had oral sex in a cupboard and once kissed in a school lift. The actions of the married man - who was supposed to be responsible for safeguarding children at the school - were said to be an 'open secret' and he was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 following an investigation into his conduct. Two years later, the school informed the police of their findings, he was able to take up another job in education. A whistleblower reported his actions eight years after his resignation and he was reffered to the Teaching Regulation Agency (TRA). A subsequent tribunal heard the teacher and the pupil, known as Person B to preserve her anonymity, had begun exchanging emails in 2010, many of which he made her delete. Culling also obtained Peron B's personal phone number using school regards and began to text her. A Valentine's card was also presented to the panel signed 'Phil', which was addressed to "by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world". Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. By 2012, the teacher was professing his love to Person B, and a year later, they had kissed for the first time. "From then on, they would kiss when they met up," the panel heard, including on one occasion in the school's lift. Person B told the panel she had (performed a sex act with the teacher) in a cupboard in his office early in the morning on several occasions. Culling referred to the girl as the 'LOML', short for Love Of My Life. He also made her CDs and sent her flowers to wish her good luck for her A-level exams. On the night of her school leavers' party, he secretly met up with Person B in a public park where he took her virginity, the panel heard. The pupil revealed that over the summer when no one was home, the teacher visited her house once a week to have sex wit her. After she moved into a flat with someone else "a lot of sexual acts including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas", the tribunal heard. Panel chair Jo Palmer-Tweed said the teacher had taken advantage "of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification", adding: "Mr Culling exploited his position to advance a sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil, and his misconduct was of the utmost seriousness." Person B, she said, had felt 'shame' as a result of the relationship which "tainted her memories of her school experience". Famous alumni at the £33,000-a-year school include celebrity chef Nigella Lawson and Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale. In 2014, Culling asked the girl to lie about their relationship, the girl told the tribunal, amid fears he would lose his job. He went on to urge her "not to engage" with the investigation in 2023. A spokesperson for the school said: "The TRA's report reveals a shocking and deeply disturbing pattern of past behaviour which we unequivocally condemn. We fully support the TRA's decision to bar Philip Culling from working in the teaching profession ever again. "He left Godolphin and Latymer 11 years ago after a comprehensive governor-led investigation into his conduct. The Hammersmith and Fulham LADO was fully aware and supported the school's actions at the time, and the police were also informed. "Information and evidence not previously available to the school have now come to light through the TRA process and we are reviewing this. Above all, we are devastated to learn that a former pupil suffered in this way."
Daily Record
9 hours ago
- Daily Record
Riot police descend on Salford as '60 youths' spark chaos on street
A car has been torched and another smashed to pieces in the mayhem. Riot police scrambled to the streets of Salford this afternoon after "serious disorder" erupted as locals described seeing up to 60 masked youths in the area. A car has been torched and a police car is reported to have been damaged in the shocking scenes which unfolded at Lower Broughton Road in Saford, reports the Mirror. A Fiat 500 was left completely wrecked, with its windscreen and windows shattered, while another vehicle was seen engulfed in flames. A wheelie bin was also hurled into the road and hit by a police tactical aid van. Police confirmed a dispersal order in place and one person has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. In a statement GMP Salford said: " Officers are currently dealing with serious disorder on Lower Broughton Road in Salford and there is a dispersal order in place. Behaviour of this nature will not be tolerated and we will respond accordingly. "We have made an arrest on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and one of our vehicles has been damaged." Speaking to Manchester Evening News, a witness described seeing a Fiat 500 car "completely smashed in". "There is a Fiat 500 which has been completely smashed in. It's windows have been stoved in. "The police are here, but they're circling around at the moment. At a rough guess I'd say there are about 50-60 people hanging about, but a lot of residents are also coming out." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. Photos and videos from the scene show riot officers lined up as they attempted to combat the riot. GMP's Photos and footage from the scene show riot officers in full gear lined up as tensions ran high. GMP's motorcycle unit was sent to the scene of the disorder. A rifer was assisted off a bike and the vehicle seized by cops. The nearby Lower Broughton Road is closed between B6186 Frederick Road and A576 Great Cheetham Street West, according to traffic data company Inrix.
