Texas police are searching for a 2-year-old girl who has been missing since 2017.
Austin police said Virginia Gonzales, 33, provided conflicting information to family members regarding her daughter Ava’s whereabouts. WVUE reported that Virginia Gonzales never formally reported her daughter’s disappearance, and cops have not been able to positively identify her father.
Authorities only learned of Ava Gonzales’ apparent disappearance after her mother was arrested on April 24. Weeks earlier, the woman’s 7-year-old daughter was reportedly found severely neglected and malnourished in a closet in their home. The girl’s grandmother reportedly discovered her in the 5-foot by 2-foot closet, where she was left for a month.
READ: Mom of Girl Missing Since 2017 Arrested After Other Daughter Is Found Starved in Cramped Closet
Austin police said the closet had no light or ventilation. Items in the closet meant Virginia Gonzales’ daughter only had 3 feet by 1 foot, 10 inches of space to move.
The 7-year-old girl reportedly weighed 29 pounds — and medical staff determined she suffered permanent brain damage due to ongoing malnutrition and starvation. Police said Virginia Gonzales only fed her a corndog and half a cup of water a day.
Virginia Gonzales allegedly ordered her other children to lock the 7-year-old in the closet because she had bladder issues and was getting into stuff. The victim’s 10-year-old brother said he was instructed to clean the closet because the girl was defecating and urinating in there, according to police.
Virginia Gonzales’ daughter who vanished in 2017 would be nine today. KVUE reported that there is no record of her seven children attending any school in Central Texas.
Virginia Gonzales is charged with serious bodily injury to a child. Her six children are in foster care while authorities continue to search for her daughter.
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[Feature Photo: Austin police]