A mother in Texas has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for starving her young daughter by only allowing her to eat one corn dog a day. Virginia Gonzales, 33, from Del Valle, was found guilty of felony child injury after it was revealed that she restricted her daughter’s food intake due to behavioral issues and bladder problems. The girl, who was malnourished and neglected, was kept in a small room by her siblings.
The child, whose name was not disclosed, was discovered severely malnourished and living in unsanitary conditions. She weighed just 29 pounds and was found to have been fed minimal amounts of food and water. Authorities described her physical condition as severely depleted, with her body using its own fat stores to survive.
Gonzales, who pleaded guilty in court, was sentenced with the hope that it would mark the beginning of the victim’s recovery. The incident came to light when one of the siblings informed their grandmother about the abuse. The mother had justified her actions as a form of punishment for the child’s behavior.
In a separate case, one of Gonzales’ children, Ava Marie Gonzales, went missing in 2017 at the age of nine. Investigators have been searching for her since. The mother accepted the plea deal to avoid a longer sentence, with her attorney rejecting a harsher offer.
Following the sentencing, the Travis County District Attorney’s Office expressed hope that the imprisonment would aid in the victim’s recovery. The office emphasized the importance of protecting children from such abuse and stated their commitment to seeking justice for the missing child, Ava. Gonzales’ other children have been placed in protective custody during the ongoing search for Ava.
