Authorities are currently searching for a 9-year-old girl who vanished in 2017, coinciding with the recent arrest of her mother in Texas for allegedly locking her sister in a closet due to starvation.
Ava Marie Gonzalez was last seen when she was under her mother’s care, Virginia Marie Gonzalez.
The situation escalated after Virginia faced child abuse allegations on April 24, reportedly confining Ava’s 7-year-old sister in a closet for a month with very little food.
When officers conducted a welfare check on April 3, they discovered the malnourished girl, weighing only 29 pounds, obstructed in a small enclosure measuring 3 by 2 feet.
Reports indicate she had been stuck in the closet for several weeks, surviving on merely “one corndog and 1/2 cup of water.”
Subsequent medical evaluations revealed the child had suffered “moderate to severe brain atrophy,” indicative of significant brain damage from extended hunger.
In addition, six other children, ranging from ages 2 to 14, were found at the home where no indications of abuse were detected by authorities.
However, police stated that there was sufficient food available in the house.
This unsettling situation has led investigators to probe deeper into Ava’s enigmatic disappearance.
Authorities expressed serious concern for Ava’s safety, given the distressing circumstances involving her sister.
“There’s evidence suggesting she was born in Virginia. But her current whereabouts are unknown,” said Detective Russell Constable.
He noted that the mother has provided inconsistent information to various families, complicating the search for Ava.
Ava is described as a Hispanic girl with straight brown hair and brown eyes.
Officers have released images of Ava from when she was a toddler, along with projections of how she may appear now at the age of nine.
