TX TX - Ava Marie Gonzales, age 2 when last seen in Austin in Dec 2017 (LE concerned after mother arrested in Apr 2025 for injury to younger child)

[Unalienable Rights]

Ava at 1- 1/2 years old (April 2017)

Ava at 2 years (December 2017)

Age progressed photo of Ava today

APD Seeks the Public’s Assistance in Locating a Missing Child | AustinTexas.gov

Case:　　 2025-5008704 (Missing Child) / 2025-0931078 (Serious Injury to

www.austintexas.gov

City of Austin​

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release Date: May. 06, 2025
Contact: Public Information Office 512-974-5017 Email

Case:　　 2025-5008704 (Missing Child) / 2025-0931078 (Serious Injury to Child)

Time:　 　9 a.m.

Location: 5501 Ross Rd. #518

Missing: Ava Marie Gonzales, Hispanic female, 9 years of age

The Austin Police Department (APD) is searching for a missing 9-year-old child, Ava Marie Gonzales. Ava was last seen by family and friends in December 2017 when she was two years old, in the custody of her mother, Virginia Gonzales. Virginia Gonzales was arrested on 04/24/2025 for Serious Injury to a Child.

APD is seriously concerned about Ava’s welfare given the circumstances in which Ava’s younger sibling was found on 04/03/2025.

Ava Gonzales is described as:

• Hispanic female
• Unknown height/weight
• Straight brown hair
• Brown eyes

Anyone with information regarding Ava’s whereabouts is asked to email: ava@austintexas.gov or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers by calling: 512-572-8477.

Ava’s last known guardian, Virginia Gonzales (currently in custody for case 25-0931078):

Virginia Gonzales (December 2017)

Virginia Gonzales (April 3, 2025) Bond Forfeiture - out of county warrant

Virginia Gonzales (April 25, 2025) Injury to a Child, Serious Bodily Injury

 

[Unalienable Rights]

This is just terrible. Ava Marie was never reported missing. When police went to the home on April 3 to investigate the abuse of her 7-year-old sister, there were also 6 more siblings in the home (in good health.) That is when they found out that there was an eighth child who hadn't been seen since 2017. The grandmother is the one who called the police. Recommend watching the press conference linked below.


Full Press Conference - Austin, TX Police Dept., May 6, 2025

Austin police looking for girl missing since 2017, sister found malnourished in closet

The Austin Police Department is searching for a missing 9-year-old girl who hasn't been seen since December 2017, amid a disturbing child abuse case involving h

cbsaustin.com

The Austin Police Department is searching for a missing 9-year-old girl who hasn't been seen since December 2017, amid a disturbing child abuse case involving her mother.

Authorities are seeking the public's assistance in locating Ava Marie Gonzales, who was last seen at age 2 in the custody of her mother, Virginia Marie Gonzales.

*****

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 daughter.

www.kvue.com

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 7-year-old'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 – who are between the ages of 2 and 14 years old – are now in protective custody. During the investigation, police discovered an eighth child, later identified as Ava Gonzales, was not inside the home. According to police, she was last seen in 2017, but was never formally reported missing.

*****

Mother of missing child arrested; search for girl continues

Austin police are searching for a missing girl who was last seen in 2017. The girl's mother was recently arrested in connection to an unrelated incident.

www.fox7austin.com

According to an affidavit by an investigator with the Austin PD Child Abuse Unit, Virginia barricaded her child in the closet for a month and fed her one corn dog and a 1/2 cup of water a day.

The victim was transported to Dell Children’s Medical Center with signs of malnourishment.

Following an investigation, the APD Child Abuse Unit obtained a warrant in the City of Austin Municipal Court and requested immediate assistance from the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force-Austin Division to locate and apprehend Virginia.

 

[dalsglen]

Wonder what the older kids have to say about what happened with Ava

 

[GuyfromCanada]

How do people get away with not reporting their child missing? Is Ava's dad in the picture? She was just 2 years old when she went missing. This doesn't sound good at all.

 

[TheMom77]

What a terrible situation all around. All of those poor kids.

 

[Megsc]

Ava hasn’t been seen for the last 8 years, yet no family member was worried about her for all of this time ??

 

[TheTeach]

The real question is why does someone continue to have children if they don't actually care about them.

I can imagine Virginia made up some story about Ava going to live with some distant family member, to explain why she wasn't around anymore. MOO

The 14 year old would have been 5 or 6 at the time..., so maybe they are able to recall something from that time.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

(Steve Fisher is a detective. He is a member of WS and has been interviewed by Tricia multiple times.)

https://twitter.com/x/status/1919964170935795991

https://x.com/SF_investigates
SF INVESTIGATES • STEVE FISCHER

@SF_investigates

I will be a guest on
@LawCrimeNetwork
tomorrow to discuss the missing case of Ava Marie Gonzales. Ava's mother was recently arrested on child neglect charges and investigators learned Ava has been missing since 2017. She was never reported missing. Ava was 2 years old when she went missing. The Austin Police Dept. is seeking the publics assistance in locating Ava. https://austintexas.gov/news/apd-seeks-publics-assistance-locating-missing-child

 

[Unalienable Rights]

WHMI 93.5 FM Radio Station — Livingston County Michigan

News, Weather, Traffic, Sports, School Updates, and the Best Classic Hits for Howell, Brighton, Fenton

www.whmi.com

*****
Ava has not been reported missing by her mother or anyone else, Constable said.

Constable said the girl's mother has "provided conflicting information to many different family members" about Ava's whereabouts, and police are asking for anyone who may have seen her or knows where she is to come forward.

Police have not identified her father, he said.

*****
As far as Austin police are aware, none of Gonzales' children are enrolled in school, Constable said.

*****

 

[Iknewit80]

33 years old and 8 kids. None of them went to school. Apparently no one was visiting because grandma only realized the one child was locked in the closet because Mom got arrested for having weed. When was the last time anyone saw and spent time with the surviving kids before all this? These kids had no one to ask for help.

 

[modesty blaise]

Goodness gracious! Where were aunts, uncles, grandmas......

 

[Tricia]

Join us TONIGHT at 8:00 PM Eastern as death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan answers your questions. CLICK HERE TO WATCH JSM LIVE TONIGHT AT 8:00 PM EASTERN

 

[lightofmine99]

How do you have kids ranging in age from 2 to 14 and not a single one of them is enrolled in school?

Let me guess...they're "homeschooled" with nobody checking in on their progress? MOO.

 

[mlhenn]

Ava Marie Gonzales – The Charley Project

 

[Goecke]

It seems like Ava's sister was the only sibling singled out for extreme abuse/neglect. While that's not uncommon, I always wonder *why* that one child is singled out. If Ava was similarly singled out, maybe her and her sister had something in common- Maybe a different father from the rest of the siblings? All speculation/IMO.

 

[arielilane]

@Unalienable Rights, thank you for opening a thread on this case. Its been on my mind since I saw it on L&C the other day.

Texas mother Virginia Gonzales was arrested after her 7-year-old daughter was found malnourished and locked in a closet, leading to the reopening of her missing daughter Ava Marie Gonzales's case. Law&Crime’s Chris Stewart
@cstewartnews breaks down the facts of the arrest.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1920516545974796314

 

[arielilane]

@CStewartNews


Authorities in Austin, Texas, are hoping to find a girl they say hasn't been seen in more than SIX years. Her name is Ava Marie Gonzales. Here is a pic from when she was last seen at 2yo and a generated image of what she may look like today.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1920118756740612254

 

[Iknewit80]

It seems like Ava's sister was the only sibling singled out for extreme abuse/neglect. While that's not uncommon, I always wonder *why* that one child is singled out. If Ava was similarly singled out, maybe her and her sister had something in common- Maybe a different father from the rest of the siblings? All speculation/IMO.

They may be disabled or have some medical condition.