Cops now searching for girl who vanished in 2017 after mom arrested for 'locking sister in closet for weeks'
Police are looking for information on a young girl who has been missing since 2017 after her mom was arrested.
On April 24, Austin Police Department (APD), Texas, arrested Virginia Gonzales, who is now facing a serious injury to a child charge.
Police say Gonzales' seven-year-old daughter had been found 'locked in a closet and starving' in the weeks leading up to her mother's arrest. Law enforcement became aware of the child's whereabouts following a 911 call.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit seen by ABC News, it was the grandmother of the girl who called 911 after finding the girl 'malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet'.
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Speaking afterwards, APD Detective Russell Constable told reporters, as per PEOPLE, that the young girl 'was immediately taken to a local hospital for medical treatment and is currently recovering'.
Apparently there were six other children between the ages of two and 14 at the same property but they 'appeared physically healthy'.
Police say that none of the children are enrolled in school as far as they are aware.
Following Gonzales' arrest, police are now searching for her other daughter, nine-year-old Ava Marie Gonzales, who disappeared in 2017 but was never reported missing.
Gonzales is currently being held on a $75,000 bond.
A press released issued by APD on May 6 read: "The Austin Police Department (APD) is searching for a missing 9-year-old child, Ava Marie Gonzales.
"Ava was last seen by family and friends in December 2017 when she was two years old, in the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales. Virginia Gonzales was arrested on 04/24/2025 for Serious Injury to a Child.
"APD is seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare given the circumstances in which Ava’s younger sibling was found on 04/03/2025."
Ava is described as an hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes. Her height and weight are unknown.
APD have published old photographs of Ava from April and December 2017 and have used such images to generate what the young girl might look like today.
When asked about Ava's whereabouts, her mother reportedly gave 'conflicting information to many different family members', say police.
The missing girl's father has not been identified.
APD Detective Russell Constable added of what they know about Ava: "We have information showing that she was born to Virginia. We just don’t know where she is right now.
"[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."
Anyone with information on Ava is being asked to contact APD via email at [email protected] or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling: 512-572-8477.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Niamh Shackleton