Overview

• Virginia Gonzales, 33, was arrested on April 24 and charged with first-degree felony injury to a child after her 7-year-old daughter was found malnourished and barricaded in a closet in Austin, Texas.
• The 7-year-old weighed just 29 pounds and was discovered in soiled conditions, with no light or ventilation, reportedly as punishment for minor misbehavior.
• During the investigation, authorities uncovered that Gonzales’s older daughter, Ava Marie Gonzales, disappeared in December 2017 at the age of 2 and was never reported missing.
• Police have released age-progressed images of Ava, now 9, as they appeal to the public for information about her whereabouts, citing serious concerns for her safety.
• Six other children in the household, ranging in age from 2 to 14, appeared to be in good health and have been placed in protective custody.