Discovery of starving 7-year-old sparks search for missing sibling, TX cops say

A Texas mother accused of starving her 7-year-old child is now at the center of a search for her missing toddler, according to police.

Virginia Gonzales was arrested April 24 on a charge of injury to a child after a 7-year-old was found locked inside of a closet and starving, Russell Constable, of the Austin Police Department, said during a May 6 news briefing.

There were six other children in the home who appeared to be in good health.

While investigating Gonzales, a mother of 8, police soon realized there was a child unaccounted for, Constable said. A girl, Ava Marie Gonzales, wasn’t at the home.

Further investigation revealed Ava vanished when she was 2 years old.

She was last seen more than seven years ago, in December of 2017, while in her mother’s custody, Constable said. What happened to her, where she is, Gonzales can’t or won’t say, according to Constable.

But given the severe abuse suffered by Ava’s sibling, investigators are “seriously concerned” about her welfare, Constable said.

Ava would be 9 years old now, he added, sharing age-progressed photos of how she might look today.

Gonzales never reported Ava missing and, over the years, has given conflicting information to family members about her, according to Constable.

“She could be anywhere at this point,” he said.

Anyone with information on Ava’s whereabouts is asked to email Ava@austintexas.gov, or call Crimestoppers at 512-472-8477.

This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Discovery of starving 7-year-old sparks search for missing sibling, TX cops say."