Ava Marie Gonzales

• Missing Since 12/25/2017
• Missing From Del Valle, Texas
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Female
• Race Hispanic
• Date of Birth 10/21/2015 (9)
• Age 2 years old
• Height and Weight Unknown
• Distinguishing Characteristics Hispanic female. Brown hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance

Ava was last seen in Del Valle, Texas on December 25, 2017. She has never been heard from again. Authorities did not realize she was missing until April 2025, when Ava's mother, Virginia Gonzales, was arrested after her seven-year-old daughter's grandmother found the child barricaded in a small bedroom closet in the family's apartment apartment in the 5500 block of Ross Road. She'd been locked there for about a month.

The child was soiled and severely malnourished, and in fact had sustained permanent brain damage from prolonged starvation. Her siblings said that Virginia had told them to lock the girl in the closet because she got into things, ate things she wasn't supposed to eat, and had trouble controlling her bladder. She was only allowed to have one corndog to eat a day, plus half a cup of water. The other six children in the home, who ranged in age from two to fourteen, were healthy and the home's pantry, freezer and refrigerator were stocked with food.

In the aftermath of Virginia's arrest for child abuse, her seven children were taken into protective custody and placed in foster care. Authorities realized Ava, the eighth child, was unaccounted for. Virginia provided conflicting stories to various different family members as to Ava's whereabouts, and there is no record that she ever attended school, although the state of Texas requires mandatory enrollment in kindergarten for children over the age of six. None of Ava's siblings were enrolled in school.

A photo of Virginia is posted with this case summary. She has not been charged with a crime in Ava's disappearance, and authorities are not sure what happened to Ava, but due to the circumstances there is serious concern for her welfare. Her disappearance remains unsolved.