Houston authorities announced on Thursday that they have arrested two men in relation to the death of a 12-year-old girl from Texas. The girl’s body was discovered on Monday in a nearby creek.
During a news conference, officials reported that Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old, left her home without permission on Sunday night. Surveillance footage revealed that she entered a 7-Eleven store shortly after midnight where she was seen conversing with two men.
Houston authorities have arrested 21-year-old Johan Jose Rangel Martinez and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, who were roommates, on a preliminary charge of capital murder. As of Thursday afternoon, the two have not been booked on any charges yet.
In an interview with Houston TV station KPRC, Alexis Nungaray revealed that she had seen her daughter last before 10 p.m. on Sunday, but noticed her absence the next day at around 6 a.m.
The GoFundMe site features a picture of Jocelyn Nungaray.
According to KTRK-TV in Houston, Jocelyn’s 13-year-old boyfriend was on the phone with her while she was at the store and overheard her conversing with two adults.
During a press conference on Thursday, Lt. Stephen Hope from the Houston Police Department stated that the victim’s boyfriend and his family have been exceptionally cooperative with the authorities during the investigation.
According to Hope, Jocelyn was captured on video having a conversation with the two men outside the 7-Eleven store for a few minutes. After that, they entered the store together and headed towards a bridge, which is also the location where Jocelyn’s lifeless body was discovered.
According to Alexis Nungaray, she had always advised her to avoid leaving the house unattended and to prioritize safety due to the presence of potentially dangerous individuals in the area. She never imagined that the threat would directly affect her. This was revealed in an interview with KPRC.
Hope stated that the girl was reportedly left by the bridge as the two men made their way towards Martinez and Ramos’ apartment, heading south.
According to KPRC, Alexis Nungaray shared that she used her daughter’s phone to track her whereabouts and found it at the creek the next day. When she arrived, she saw police officers searching the area. It was only an hour later that she received the official notification that her daughter had passed away.
According to KPRC’s report, the cause of Jocelyn’s death was determined to be strangulation by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.
On Thursday, authorities apprehended Ramos and Martinez at their residence. Law enforcement officers conducted a search of their apartment and purportedly discovered evidence linked to Jocelyn’s demise.
According to KPRC, the mother of the deceased is still struggling to accept the fact that her daughter has passed away.
As she expressed her disbelief, she revealed, “It feels surreal. Everyone and everything is telling me something, but it’s not fully registering in my mind.”
