Latest news with #AvaMarieGonzales
Irish Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Police search for girl, 9, missing since she was 2 after sibling found starved
An urgent search has been launched for nine year-old Ava Marie Gonzales, who vanished back in December 2017 when she was just two years old. Her case broke wide open on April 3, 2024, when her seven year old sister was discovered starving and trapped in a closet at the family's residence. According to an arrest warrant affidavit reported by ABC News, the youngster was found "malnourished, soiled, and barricaded in a bedroom closet" following a 911 distress call. She was taken to hospital where she is now being looked after. The Austin Police Department made a heartfelt plea on May 6 seeking assistance to find Ava, with Detective Russell Constable voicing worries over Ava's safety in light of her sister's plight. "The Austin Police Department is asking the community for help to find Ava Marie Gonzales," stated Constable during a media briefing. "Our detectives are seriously concerned about Ava's welfare, given the circumstances in which her sibling was found." Police said the seven year old had been confined to the closet for around a month. It's believed she survived on just a single hot dog or corn dog each day alongside a mere half-cup of water, reports the Mirror. At the time she was rescued, she weighed only 29 pounds. Her grandmother came across the child during a visit to the house and didn't hesitate to ring up the police. Ava's mum, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested on April 24 and was slapped with charges of injury to a child and serious bodily injury in connection to the seven year old. The police found six other kids in the house, all looking physically healthy. The authorities are still on the hunt to pinpoint Ava's father and are working hard to find him. Right now, Virginia Gonzales is cooped up with a bail set at €67,000, according to the inmate dossier from the Travis County Sheriff's Office. In a bid to track down Ava, the police have put out an age-upgraded snap of what she might look now. She's described as a Hispanic girl with straight brown hair and brown eyes. This plea comes hot on the heels of a shocking case in Michigan where a mum was jailed after her three children were found sleeping in "deplorable" conditions, among piles of rubbish and excrement. The 34 year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested when her kids – a 15 year old boy and two daughters aged 12 and 13 – were found living in "absolute squalor" at their Pontiac home back in February. Police carried out a welfare check after getting a nudge from the landlord who hadn't seen the mother since December, and no rent had been paid since October. The children confirmed that they'd been abandoned by their mother sometime between 2020 or 2021, and had been left to fend for themselves ever since. The house that the children called home was a scene of utter neglect, littered with human waste, mould, and heaps of garbage towering up to four feet in some areas. The kids were completely ignorant of even the most basic hygiene practices, such as using toiletries or flushing the loo, and had been out of school for ages since being left to fend for themselves. The girls hadn't seen the light of day in years, making do with old pizza boxes for beds, while the older lad made his bed on a mattress sprawled across the floor, their time consumed by telly and video games. Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard slammed the living conditions as "deplorable and intolerable for an animal."
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Daily Record
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."
Daily Mirror
08-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Girl, 7, found locked in wardrobe in desperate search for two-year-old sister
Ava Marie Gonzales has been missing since December 2017, when she was two years old. Now, her seven-year-old sister has been discovered locked in a closet, as the mystery takes another twist A desperate search is underway for Ava Marie Gonzales, who has been missing since December 2017, when she was just two years old. Her disappearance remained a mystery until April 3, 2024, 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. She was immediately rushed to the hospital and is currently recovering. In a public appeal on May 6, the Austin Police Department called for help in locating Ava, a now nine-year-old girl. Detective Russell Constable expressed concern for Ava's well-being, given the circumstances of her sister's discovery. 'The Austin Police Department is asking the community for help to find Ava Marie Gonzales,' Constable said in a press conference. 'Our detectives are seriously concerned about Ava's welfare, given the circumstances in which her sibling was found.' The seven-year-old girl had been locked in the closet for a month, according to police. She was reportedly fed only a hot dog or corn dog each morning and given just half a cup of water a day. She weighed only 29 pounds when taken to the hospital. The child was discovered by her grandmother during a visit to the home, who immediately called the police. Ava's mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested on April 24 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. To aid in the search for Ava, the police have released an age-progressed photo of what she 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."
USA Today
08-05-2025
- USA Today
Texas girl not seen since 2017 reported missing after sister found starving in closet
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@ or call anonymously at (512) 572 - 8477.
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Newsweek
Police Find Malnourished Girl in Closet. They're Looking for Her Sister Last Seen in 2017
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Police in Texas are seeking the public's help in finding a missing child who was last seen in 2017, after her mother was accused of locking another child in a closet. Ava Marie Gonzales, now 9, was last seen by family and friends at age 2, the Austin Police Department (APD) said in a press release. The child's mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested on April 24 for alleged serious injury to a child. APD said it is "seriously concerned about Ava's welfare" given the circumstances in which her younger sibling was found on April 3. The grandmother of the child called 911 after finding her 7-year-old granddaughter "malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet," according to an arrest affidavit obtained by KXAN. Left: Ava Marie Gonzales in December 2017 at age 2. Right: An age-progression photo showing how Gonzales would look today. Left: Ava Marie Gonzales in December 2017 at age 2. Right: An age-progression photo showing how Gonzales would look today. Austin Police Department What To Know Ava was never reported missing after her disappearance more than seven years ago, according to KXAN. Ava is described as a Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes. Her height and weight are unknown. Officers responded to an apartment on Ross Road in Del Valle last month for a welfare check. The grandmother told police that the other children in the home were told to put a 7-year-old girl in a closet because she had trouble controlling her bladder, according to the affidavit. She also told officials that the child was "always getting into stuff," which she explained meant that the child was eating things she was not allowed to. The girl was taken to Dell Children's Medical Center, where her weight was recorded as 29 pounds. She had dark-colored spots on her body, which medical staff identified as a sign of malnourishment, police said. She also said that her "bones hurt." An older sibling told police that the child would eat a "hotdog/corndog in the morning and in the evening" and could drink only a half-cup of water, according to the affidavit. Officials said the pantry, refrigerator and freezer were stocked with a variety of foods. Six other children found in the home appeared physically healthy. The closet in which the child was found had no light or air circulation. It measured about 4 feet, 9 inches by 1 foot, 10 inches, but other items in the closet took up some space, according to the affidavit. Police said the closet door was barricaded with boxes weighing more than 75 pounds combined. What People Are Saying Austin Police Department Detective Russell Constable, at a press conference: "[The mom] has provided conflicting information to many different family members. So, we're hoping to get more information and try to figure out where she is." Shelly Troberman, an attorney with Child Protective Services experience, told KXAN: "You've got a lot of different people sometimes operating in these cases, getting different information and sharing incorrect information with each other. It makes it hard." What Happens Next Anyone with information on Ava's whereabouts is asked to contact ava@ Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling 512-572-8477. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
