AUSTIN, TX – A Texas woman accused of confining her 7-year-old daughter in a closet for weeks at a time and feeding her just one corn dog daily has rejected a plea deal offering 40 years in prison, with her attorney calling the offer “utterly absurd.”
Virginia Marie Gonzales faces charges of serious injury to a child after Austin police responded to a 911 call at her Del Valle home and discovered the starving girl locked in a bedroom closet with heavy boxes blocking the door.
Officers found six other children living in the residence who appeared physically healthy. But the 7-year-old victim was severely malnourished and has since been hospitalized where she continues to recover.
According to the arrest affidavit, Gonzales allegedly kept the girl locked in the closet “weeks at a time.” The child’s grandmother told investigators the girl had bladder control issues and ate things she shouldn’t, prompting family members to instruct siblings to keep her confined.
The disturbing case took an even darker turn when investigators discovered another child connected to Gonzales is missing. A girl named Ava, now 9 years old, was last seen at age 2 while in Gonzales’ custody. Her whereabouts remain unknown.
Defense attorney Gabe Hernandez rejected the prosecution’s 40-year plea offer on behalf of his client. “Utterly absurd,” Hernandez said of the deal.
Gonzales remains in custody awaiting trial, which is scheduled to begin January 26, 2026. If convicted, she could face a substantially longer sentence than what prosecutors initially offered.
The case has drawn widespread attention for the alleged cruelty inflicted on a child within her own home while other family members appeared to enable the abuse.
