A Texas mother is facing felony charges for locking her 7-year-old daughter in a dark closet with no access to food or a bathroom because she had bladder problems and was “always getting into stuff,” according to the child’s siblings and police.
Virginia Gonzales, 33, is charged with causing serious bodily injury to a child after her daughter was discovered soiled, severely malnourished, and weighing 29 pounds after spending several weeks inside a closet, according to court documents obtained by local ABC affiliate KVUE.
The girl was reportedly discovered by her grandmother at her mother’s home in Austin.
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Gonzales allegedly ordered the girl’s six siblings to keep her locked inside the small space, which measures about 3 feet by 1 foot, 10 inches, according to KVUE.
According to police, the children, ages 2 to 14, told their grandmother that Gonzales was punishing the girl for “getting into stuff” and eating things she wasn’t supposed to.
The victim’s 10-year-old brother claimed that the girl was only allowed to eat one corn dog per day and was given a half-cup of water. Her siblings say she defecated and urinated inside the closet.
Austin police have placed the children in protective custody and are now looking for another Gonzales girl, Ava, who has been missing since 2017. She was nine years old when she went missing, according to a press release.
Cops claim the closet victim suffered permanent brain damage and prolonged starvation as a result of the imprisonment, which was discovered on April 3. The closet where the girl was allegedly detained was barricaded.
Authorities have asked anyone with information about the missing sibling, Ava, to contact the Austin Police Department.