Austin (USA) - At the beginning of April, police officers found a starving seven-year-old girl in a bedroom closet. Now the officers are anxiously searching for the child's older sister (9).

As People reported, nine-year-old Ava Marie Gonzales has been missing since December 2017. When she was last seen, she was just two years old.

Her mother, Virginia Gonzales, is currently in custody, charged with aggravated assault of a child after her youngest daughter was discovered in a terrible condition.

She was found "malnourished, dirty and locked in a bedroom closet", according to a police press release.

The seven-year-old was immediately taken to a nearby hospital and is currently on the road to recovery. In addition to her, six other children (aged 2 to 14) were also found in the house, all of whom appeared to be in good physical condition.

However, none of them ever went to school.

The seven-year-old was found by her grandmother when she entered the house after Gonzales had been arrested for drug possession. The old woman then dialed 911 in a panic.

Officials currently assume that the child had to live in the cupboard for a whole month. She was only given a hot dog or a corn dog and half a glass of water a day to eat.

Particularly shocking: when the seven-year-old arrived at the hospital, she weighed just 13 kilograms.

The officers now have no choice but to assume the worst in their search for little Ava Marie. Unfortunately, there are no clues as to where she might currently be. Her mother is keeping quiet.

Meanwhile, the missing girl's father has not yet been identified.