After rescuing a malnourished child from a closet, Austin police are working to track down her missing 9-year-old sister.
According to police, Ava Marie Gonzales was last seen by family and friends in December 2017, when she was just 2 years old and in the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales.
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Authorities say concerns about Ava‘s welfare intensified after her younger sibling was found in alarming conditions last month.
On April 3, Austin police responded to a home in Del Valle after receiving a 911 call about a 7-year-old girl who was discovered malnourished and locked inside a bedroom closet. Six other children were also found in the home, but police said they appeared physically healthy.
The 7-year-old was hospitalized and is now recovering. During the investigation, detectives learned that another child, Ava, had been missing from the home for years.
Gonzales, Ava‘s mother, was arrested on April 24 on a charge of serious injury to a child in connection with the 7-year-old’s case.
According to court documents obtained by NBC News, the child was found malnourished, soiled, and barricaded inside a bedroom closet measuring roughly 4 feet, 9 inches by 1 foot, 10 inches. Heavy boxes had been stacked in front of the door, and the child reportedly told authorities she was fed only a hot dog or corn dog in the morning and given half a cup of water to drink.
The other children in the home were reportedly not enrolled in school, according to police.
Virginia Gonzales remains in custody at the Travis County Correctional Complex on a $75,000 bond.
Ava is described as having straight brown hair and brown eyes. Authorities do not have an updated height or weight. Police released photos of Ava from 2017, as well as an age-progressed image of what she may look like today at 9 years old.
Anyone with information on Ava‘s whereabouts is urged to email ava@austintexas.gov or submit an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers at 512-472-8477.