Austin police seek leads in missing child case after mother arrested for abuse of 7-year-old

Ava Marie Gonzales was last seen in December 2017 when she was 2 years old. Her mother was arrested last month for abuse of her 7-year-old.

AUSTIN, Texas — Warning: This article contains details that readers may find disturbing.

The Austin Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a missing 9-year-old girl who hasn’t been seen since December 2017.

Police said Ava Marie Gonzales was last seen by family and friends in December 2017 when she was 2 years old, in the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales.

Virginia Gonzales, 33, was arrested in Del Valle last month after she was accused of keeping her 7-year-old daughter imprisoned in a closet for multiple weeks.

The child’s grandmother allegedly found the girl barricaded in a bedroom closet on April 3.

Court documents allege the child was soiled, weighed just 29 pounds and was severely malnourished.

Medical professionals report the young victim suffered permanent brain damage from prolonged starvation.

The girl and her six siblings – between the ages of 2 and 14 years old – are now in protective custody while Gonzales remains in jail.

Jessica Huynh is a criminal defense attorney who previously worked in the Child Abuse unit at the Travis County District Attorney’s Office. 

“From what I have so far, it sounds like there was a massive failure on multiple ends, potentially CPS, potentially the investigation from 2017, but also assisting this mother while under some sort of scrutiny in 2017 to now,” Huynh said. “It could definitely be something where a person is charged with the first degree and could face five to 99 years or life.”

APD will provide more details in the missing child case in a media briefing on Tuesday morning.

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