A massive search is underway in Texas for a girl who hasn’t been seen in nearly seven years, an effort sparked after her mother was recently arrested for allegedly locking the missing girl’s 7-year-old sister inside a closet for weeks.
Ava Marie Gonzalez, who was never reported missing, was just 2 years old when she seemingly vanished in December 2017, according to KWTX. Police said she was last seen with her mother, Virginia Gonzales, who is currently facing child abuse charges. She was arrested last month on a count of injury to a child after her 7-year-old daughter was found “locked in a closet and starving,” Austin Detective Russell Constable told reporters.
Authorities were alerted to the alleged abuse by the girl’s grandmother after she found her “malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by ABC News. Police said she turned up Gonzalez’s residence after she was was arrested for marijuana possession.
The girl, who weighed just 29 lbs. when she was found, received a hot dog or corn dog in the morning and evening and half a cup of water daily. According to the affidavit, she spent a month trapped in the closet of her Houston home.
There were another six children at the residence when authorities arrived. Police said they all appeared physically healthy and that they range in age from 2 to 14 years old. After further investigation, they learned there were once eight children in the home, but one of them, Ava, had not been seen in years.
Authorities in a social media post said they are “deeply concerned” for Ava’s well-being and have asked anyone with information to contact law enforcement.
