Police Found a 7-Year-Old 'Locked in a Closet and Starving.' Now They're Searching for Her Sister, Missing Since 2017

• Police in Texas have asked for the public’s help in searching for a missing 9-year-old girl, Ava Marie Gonzales, who hasn’t been seen since December 2017
• Ava’s 7-year-old sibling was found “locked in a closet and starving” last month, the Austin Police Department said
• The child’s mother, Virginia Gonzales, has since been arrested and is facing a serious injury to a child charge

A search is underway for a 9-year-old girl missing since 2017 after authorities found her 7-year-old sibling “locked in a closet and starving,” police have said.

On Tuesday, May 6, the Austin Police Department (APD) put out a news release asking for the public’s help in locating Ava Marie Gonzales, who “was last seen by family and friends in December 2017” when she was 2 years old.

Ava’s mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested on April 24 and is facing a serious injury to a child charge after her 7-year-old child, Ava’s sibling, was found at an address on April 3.

According to the release, Ava is a Hispanic female with straight brown hair and brown eyes, with officials releasing an age-progressed photo of what she could look like today.

“The Austin Police Department is asking the community for help to find Ava Marie Gonzales, a missing 9-year-old girl,” APD Detective, Russell Constable, said at a press conference on Tuesday, per a clip shared on Facebook.

“On April 3, 2025 Austin Police Department responded to a 911 call for a 7-year-old child that was found locked in a closet and starving,” Constable told reporters.

He said the 7-year-old “was immediately taken to a local hospital for medical treatment and is currently recovering,” adding that six other children had been found in the home “that appeared physically healthy.”

“Austin Police Department’s missing person detectives are seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare, given the circumstances in which Ava’s 7-year-old sibling was found,” the officer continued.

“We have information showing that she was born to Virginia. We just don’t know where she is right now,” Constable said, confirming that Ava’s father hasn’t yet been identified by police.

He also told reporters that the suspect had “provided conflicting information to many different family members” while discussing whether the family had questioned where Ava was.

Constable also said during the press conference that police weren’t aware that any of the children had been enrolled in school.

The 7-year-old, who is a girl, was reportedly found by her grandmother, “malnourished, soiled and barricaded in a bedroom closet,” according to ABC News, citing an arrest warrant affidavit.

The grandmother called police after finding the girl when she headed to the apartment after Gonzales had been arrested for marijuana possession, the affidavit stated, per the outlet.

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The child had allegedly been in the closet for a month and was fed a hot dog or corn dog in the morning, as well as being given half a cup of water daily. According to the affidavit, the girl weighed just 29 pounds when she was taken to the hospital.

ABC News also reported that the six other children found in the home were between the ages of 2 and 14, citing police.

According to Travis County Sheriff’s Office online inmate records seen by PEOPLE, Gonzales is being held on a $75,000 bond.

The Austin Police Department did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.