A mother of seven is accused of severely starving and beating her two young sons, even shooting the boys with a BB gun.The details of the abuse, which came to light last year, were so shocking that Harris County Precinct 4 deputy constables likened the abuse to how prisoners of war are treated.
Sandra Anna Gonzalez is charged with two counts of injury to a child.
An elementary school administrator told investigators she arrived to work around 8 a.m. on Aug. 4, 2014 and saw one of Gonzalez's children sitting on a curb in front of the school. The administrator noticed the child had a bruised and blackened right eye, and he had severe scrapes and scabs on his knees.
The 10-year-old told the administrator that he did not want to go home because his mother was abusing him, according to court documents. School administrators immediately called authorities.
The boy told investigators that his mother was abusing him by "wiping her feet on his and his brother's knees and shooting him with a BB gun."
In addition to the bruises and scrapes on the boy's knees and around his eye, deputies saw numerous scrapes and bruising on the tops of his hands and bruising and swelling on his back.
Investigators had the boy remove his shirt. The boy appeared to be severely malnourished, and investigators said they could clearly see his ribs and spine. Investigators documented that the child looked "like a prisoner of war who had been starved."
Investigators also found similar injuries on the boy's 12-year-old brother. That child was also sent to Texas Children's Hospital for evaluation.
Gonzalez had three girls, ages 5, 10 and 14, but they all appeared to be in good health. It was her boys that she would take her anger out on, investigators say.
The boys told investigators that they were constantly locked in a laundry room and only allowed to eat one bologna sandwich per day while their other siblings were allowed to eat as much as they wanted.
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A physician documented that the boys were suffering from malnutrition, physical abuse, and psychological abuse and neglect.
Children's Protective Services took custody of the children in 2014 after the abuse allegations surfaced. Gonzalez gave birth to another child in February 2015, and CPS took custody of that child as well.