Search for Missing Girl Intensifies After Sibling Found in Distress
Austin, Texas – Authorities in Austin are urgently seeking information on a 9-year-old girl, Ava Marie Gonzales, who disappeared in 2017, following the alarming discovery of her 7-year-old sister locked in a closet and malnourished. The situation unfolded on April 3 when police responded to a 911 call regarding the distressed sister, who was found barricaded in a closet in a Del Valle home. She was immediately taken to the hospital for care.
While six other children were also discovered in the residence, appearing physically healthy, the investigation revealed that Ava had been missing for over five years. Police stated that Ava was last seen by her family in December 2017 when she was just two years old, under the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales. Authorities are particularly concerned for Ava’s welfare, given the troubling conditions that her sister was found in.
Virginia Gonzales has been arrested and charged with serious injury to a child in connection with the 7-year-old’s condition. Reports indicate the girl was malnourished and kept in a closet that had been barricaded with heavy boxes to prevent her escape. Investigators are still attempting to locate Ava’s father, who has not been found.
Austin Police Department officials are urgently appealing to the public for assistance, as Ava’s whereabouts remain unknown. “We don’t know where she is right now…that’s what we’re trying to figure out,” said Russell Constable from the department.
In a bid to aid in the search, police have released images of Ava at age two and an age-progressed rendering of what she may look like now. Virginia Gonzales is currently being held on a $75,000 bond at the Travis County Correctional Complex.
Authorities urge anyone with information to come forward to assist in locating Ava Gonzales.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image of the presented article.
