In a cramped, unlit closet in Del Valle, Texas, a 7-year-old girl endured unimaginable suffering, her frail body reduced to just 29 pounds. Discovered on April 3, 2025, by her grandmother, the child was malnourished, bruised, and permanently scarred by prolonged starvation, with medical professionals confirming irreversible brain damage. Her only sustenance, according to her 10-year-old brother, was a single corndog and half a cup of water each day. The closet, measuring just 5 feet by 2 feet, offered no light or ventilation, and was fouled by the girl’s own waste, as she was denied basic hygiene. The reason for this cruelty, her siblings revealed, was her struggle with bladder control and taking food she “shouldn’t.” This harrowing discovery has exposed not only a case of severe child abuse but also a chilling mystery: the whereabouts of the girl’s 9-year-old sister, Ava Marie Gonzales, who has been missing since December 2017.
Virginia Gonzales, the 33-year-old mother of both girls, was arrested on April 24, 2025, by the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. She faces charges of injury to a child with serious bodily injury, a first-degree felony, and remains in Travis County Jail on a $75,000 bond. The Austin Police Department’s investigation began when the grandmother, responding to Gonzales’ earlier arrest for marijuana possession, visited the family’s home and found the 7-year-old barricaded in the closet. Six other children, aged 2 to 14, were also in the home and appeared physically healthy, but the absence of Ava, last seen at age 2, raised immediate alarm. Gonzales, police say, has provided conflicting accounts to family members about Ava’s whereabouts, leaving investigators with little to go on. No school records exist for any of Gonzales’ children, a fact that has deepened concerns about their welfare and Ava’s fate.
The case has sparked outrage and heartbreak in Austin, with community members and advocates questioning how such abuse went undetected for so long. In Texas, mandatory kindergarten enrollment for children over 6 is designed to ensure oversight of young lives, yet none of Gonzales’ children were registered in Central Texas schools. This absence of records suggests a failure of systems meant to protect vulnerable children, from schools to healthcare providers to social services. A former family court judge, now a family law attorney in Austin, expressed dismay at the systemic lapses, noting that children in such situations often slip through safety nets meant to catch them. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has since placed the seven children found in the home into foster care and is working with police to investigate further, though details of prior interactions with the family remain confidential.
Ava Marie Gonzales, now presumed to be 9, was last seen in her mother’s custody in 2017. Described as a Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes, her current appearance is uncertain, but authorities have released an age-progressed photo to aid the search. The Austin Police Department is urging anyone with information to contact them via email or through Capital Area Crime Stoppers, emphasizing the urgency of finding Ava given the horrific conditions her sibling endured. Detectives are grappling with the lack of a clear trail, as Ava’s disappearance was never reported, and efforts to identify her father have been unsuccessful.
As the investigation unfolds, the community is left to confront the grim reality of what the 7-year-old endured and the uncertainty surrounding Ava’s fate. Gonzales’ upcoming court hearing may shed light on the circumstances, but for now, the focus remains on locating Ava and ensuring justice for her sister. The case serves as a stark reminder of the hidden cruelties some children face and the critical need for vigilance to protect those who cannot protect themselves.