2 charged with capital murder in death of 12-year-old Texas girl
- Jocelyn Nungaray's body found in creek Monday morning
- Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, Franklin Jose Pena Ramos identified as suspects
- Video shows three of them going to store, then bridge where Nungaray killed
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(NewsNation) — Two men have been charged with capital murder in connection to the death of 12-year-old Texas girl Jocelyn Nungaray, police in Houston said Thursday.
Investigators said Nungaray snuck out of her home late Sunday night, and her body was found in a creek early Monday morning by a bystander, NewsNation local affiliate KIAH reported. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined her cause of death to be strangulation.
Houston Police released surveillance images of the two suspects Wednesday. The pictures show the men talking to Nungaray, then all three walking together to a convenience store before going to the bridge where police said Nungaray was killed.
Lt. Stephen Hope of the Houston Police Department identified the two men who were arrested as Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26. Martinez and Ramos were taken into custody at a Houston apartment complex Thursday morning.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told NewsNation the agency placed detainers with Harris County Jail on both men after their arrest, as they came into the country unlawfully from Venezuela. An ICE spokesperson said the date and location they entered was unknown. On March 14, Martinez was apprehended by Border Patrol near El Paso, Texas and released on an order of recognizance with a notice to appear. Ramos was released on the same order after being apprehended by Border Patrol on May 28, also near El Paso.
To honor Nungaray’s memory, people placed flowers, stuffed animals, balloons and candles where her body was found.
Alexis Nungaray, the girl’s mother, said in an interview with KRIV that Jocelyn was an “amazing little girl.”
“I was so excited to see the woman she was going to turn into,” she said. Although Jocelyn had struggled with her mental health, Alexis Nungaray knew that “God had other plans” for her daughter.
“She was supposed to be here. She’s meant to be here,” Alexis Nungaray said. “My baby didn’t deserve this at all.”
Alex Caprariello contributed to this report.
