Texas – A Texas parent, 33-year-old V. GonzaIes, was arrested and charged with causing serious bodily injury to a chiId after Texas authorities discovered her child severeIy maInourished and confined in a cIoset. The incident has also prompted a renewed search for the defendant’s other child, 9, who has been missing for the last eight years.
The investigation process began in April this year after the victim’s grandparent contacted the police department after finding her grandchild, 7, barricaded in a cIoset at their residence. The child was found soiIed, emaciated, and weighing only twenty nine pounds. She was immediately transported to the Children’s Medical Center, where medical evaluations revealed she suffered from moderate to severe cerebraI atrophy due to prolonged starvation – a condition from which she is not expected to recover fully.
According to arrest affidavits, the child had been confined to a three-foot by two-foot closet for approximately a month, receiving minimal sustenance—reportedly only one corn-dog and half a cup of water daily. The defendant allegedly used this confinement as punishment for the child’s behavioral issues, including incontinence and attempting to access food.
Further investigation revealed six other children, ranging in age from 2 to 14, living in the home. While these children appeared to be in good physical condition, none were enrolled in school, raising additional concerns about their welfare.
The case took a more alarming turn when authorities discovered that the defendant’s other child, 9, had not been seen since December 2017, when she was 2 years old. The defendant had never reported the child missing and provided conflicting information to family members about her whereabouts.
The Police Department has since launched a search for the child, releasing both her toddler photo and an age-progressed image to the public. Texas authorities said the closet victim suffered permanent brain damage and prolonged starvation as a result of the imprisonment. The closet where the girl was allegedly being held was barricaded.
The defendant was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force and is currently held at the county correctional complex on a $75,000 bond. She faces a first-degree felony charge of causing serious bodily injury to a child.
Featured Image – 33-year-old V. GonzaIes | Her missing child Avia
