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)

[arielilane]

I spoke to a fmr friend of Virginia Gonzales. Police say Gonzales starved her daughter by locking her in a closet for weeks. Police also say they are looking for her other daughter Ava who was last scene Dec. ‘17 at 2yo.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1923192812247359927

Virginia Gonzales is accused of locking her 7yo in a closet for weeks. She has brain damage from malnourishment. Her daughter Ava has been missing since ‘17. We know she has 8 biological kids per PD…they are still trying to figure out if she has more.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1923448471966659065

 

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.kxan.com/news/crime/i-want-to-fight-for-my-kids-mom-facing-felony-child-injury-charges-testifies-at-hearing/

July 16, 2025

A mother accused of confining her daughter in a closet for extended periods testified at a court hearing Tuesday, after which a judge granted a motion from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to increase her bond.

As of Wednesday morning, Virginia Gonzales faced two first-degree felony counts of injury to a child inflicting serious injury, one third-degree felony count of injury to a child, and one third-degree felony count of unlawful restraint.

*****
Lingering in this case’s shadow is another — the disappearance of Ava Marie Gonzales, 9, one of Gonzales’ children. She was last seen as an infant in 2017, according to the Austin Police Department.

Prosecutors called APD Missing Persons & Cold Cases detective Amanda Lewis to testify on Ava’s case. According to her, relatives last saw Ava in December 2017. The last known photo of Ava was taken around that time.

Ava lived with her relatives at the time, Lewis said, but Gonzales brought her back to a hotel room. That room was where Gonzales briefly lived with her kids. Lewis related what Gonzales’ oldest child, now 15, told detectives he remembered about that time.

“How do I phrase this?” said Lewis, pausing for a moment. “[Gonzales] was last seen handling the child very violently in a bathtub, then put her in a car seat.”

*****
Lewis also testified during the prosecution’s examination that her investigation was “leading us towards a murder case.” On cross-examination, Hernandez and Lewis engaged in a brief back-and-forth on that statement.

“Do you have any evidence the child is dead?” Hernandez asked.

“We don’t have any evidence that she is alive,” Lewis said. Hernandez responded that that wasn’t his question.

“We are investigating it as a homicide investigation,” Lewis responded. APD has not charged, nor has a grand jury indicted, Gonzales with homicide.

Later in the hearing, Gonzales testified that she did not kill her daughter.

*****
Early in his questioning of Virginia Gonzales, Hernandez asked her to tell the court how many children she’s had: Nine kids from at least six men. At the time of Virginia Gonzales’ arrest, Ava had been missing and another daughter was given up for adoption.

*****

See the article for a lot more -- it is a lengthy article.

 

[lightofmine99]

Bumping...

 

[tlcya]

Now, Gonzales has rejected a plea offer related to her arrest. The State offered Gonzales a 40-year prison sentence in exchange for her guilty plea. She and her attorney, Gabe Hernandez, rejected the offer, calling it “utterly absurd.” Gonzales is still in custody.

Trial is set to begin January 26, 2026.
MOM OF LITTLE GIRL FOUND LOCKED IN CLOSET STARVED, 1 CORN-DOG A DAY, REJECTS PLEA DEAL

 

[Unalienable Rights]

https://www.kxan.com/investigations/mom-at-center-of-capital-murder-investigation-of-missing-2-year-old-search-warrant-says/

January 16, 2026

Austin Police expanded a child abuse investigation into a possible capital murder case, as they investigated the disappearance and possible death of Virginia Gonzales’ firstborn daughter and third child, who has not been seen since 2018, according to court records obtained by KXAN.

The recently filed search warrant authorizes detectives to obtain potentially new evidence that investigators believe is connected to the disappearance and possible death of Gonzales’ daughter, Ava Marie Gonzales, who was born in 2015 and has not been seen or located in approximately seven years, authorities said.

*****
The warrant comes less than two weeks before Virginia Gonzales’ trial is set to begin in a separate child abuse case uncovered in April 2025.

*****
Gonzales’ attorney Hernandez also said in his statement, “By seeking this warrant at this time, they are effectively poisoning the jury pool by reintroducing these allegations into the news cycle just before the January 26th trial date. This creates an unfair bias and prejudice against my client, making it nearly impossible to select an impartial jury. To protect my client’s constitutional rights, we have no choice but to seek a continuance and a change of venue.”

******
It is a lengthy article. There is a lot more about the investigation into Ava's disappearance.

 

[Unalienable Rights]

Texas mother sentenced to 25 years for locking malnourished daughter in closet

A Texas woman whose severely malnourished 7-year-old daughter was found locked in a closet last year was sentenced to 25 years in prison.Virginia Marie Gonzales

cbsaustin.com

A Texas woman whose severely malnourished 7-year-old daughter was found locked in a closet last year was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Virginia Marie Gonzales, 33, pleaded guilty in Travis County's 331st District Court to two counts of injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury. She received 25 years on each count to run concurrently, according to online court records.

*****
A spokesperson with the Travis County District Attorney's Office provided the following statement:

"We hope that by Ms. Gonzales agreeing she is guilty, accepting 25 years of incarceration, and waiving her right to appeal it is the first step to the victim's road to recovery. No child should ever have to go through what the victim did. We will continue to work with APD to seek justice for the missing baby."

*****

 

[elliefant]

She must be delighted she turned down the plea offer of 40 years.

 

[lightofmine99]

Where is Ava Marie?!