Horrifying new details have been revealed in the murder investigation of a 12-year-old girl who was found strangled in a Texas creek only hours after sneaking out of her home.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s body was found floating in a bayou near her Houston home on Monday after she snuck out of the house at 10 pm the previous night.
Two suspects, Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, have been charged with capital murder. Police have revealed the pair, who were in the U.S. illegally from Venezuela, allegedly lured Jocelyn under a bridge, where they held her for more than two hours. The suspects possibly gang-raped her after they tied her up and took her pants off.
When the duo finished their depraved deeds, they allegedly killed the child by strangling her before throwing her body into Greenpoint Creek. Prosecutors say the case would not qualify for the death penalty unless evidence is found that shows the girl was sexually assaulted. Investigators are still awaiting the results of tests to confirm whether Jocelyn was raped.
Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 22, has been charged with capital murder. He was previously arrested close to El Paso on March 14 but was let go with a notice to appear at a later date.
Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, has also been charged with capital murder. Ramos had previously been arrested on May 28, near El Paso, but was released.
Both Rangel and Ramos had been arrested within the last few months by U.S. Border Patrol but were released. It is not clear when the pair entered the country. According to ICE, Border Patrol stopped Rangel near El Paso on March 14 only to let him go with a notice to appear. Months later, Ramos was also arrested on May 28, near El Paso. A judge ordered him to appear in court later. Both men are now in the Harris County Jail. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is requesting bail be set at $1 million each.
Police had issued images of two persons of interest seen with Jocelyn hours before her death after she had crept out of her home late on Sunday night. Surveillance footage showed Jocelyn entering a convenience store close to her home, where she ran into the two men allegedly responsible for ending her life.
It is believed Jocelyn first encountered the two men when she went to the convenience store. Surveillance footage shows her calling her 13-year-old boyfriend from the store at around midnight that night and later walking into the store itself.
Passerby Billie Jackson explained how he found the girl’s body. “I drove past, and when I looked up the creek, I thought it was a mannequin. I did a U-turn, and I stopped on the bridge, put my flashers on, looked down, and realized it was someone. I parked right here and called 911 immediately.”
Jocelyn’s grieving mother, Alexis Nungaray, is struggling to process what happened. “It’s like it’s not real,” I keep hearing everything, and I hear it and it’s not registering.” She recalled telling her daughter on Sunday not to stay up too late, as she was joining her at work the next day. Those were the last words she ever spoke to her daughter.
By 3am on Monday, Alexis noticed Jocelyn’s cat was “going crazy,” but assumed the cat was with her daughter, who always slept with her pet at night. It wasn’t until she woke up at 6am and started her normal routine to wake up her five-year-old son and Jocelyn that she noticed her daughter was missing.
Alexis said she does not know why Jocelyn snuck out of the house, though she noted that her daughter had struggled with her mental health in recent months. “I don’t know why, what possessed her to walk around late at night in this area out of all places,” Alexis said. I always told her to never leave the house, never leave unattended, always be safe. There are people around here that are crazy. I don’t think she ever thought it would happen to her.”
Family members have described the preteen as a loving and caring child. Her uncle Joamel said, “Jocy was a smart, loving, nurturing young lady. She brightened up the room every time she came by and was loved by everyone around.” Alexis also described her as the “greatest friend” who was “very goofy” and had “aspirations for life.” She added, “She loved everyone, was so kind.”
Alexis suspects the two men either lived in the apartment complex or may have walked to the store from a nearby state park. “I want karma to hit them, I’m angry,” Alexis added. “They took advantage of her. She’s so young, she’s 12. I want justice. I want whoever has seen them to please call police. They took my baby away.”
A GoFundMe has now been set up to pay for Jocelyn’s funeral, which as of Friday evening had raised almost $40,000. Her family was not prepared for such a loss and [need] help to give her daughter the memorial she deserves, to honour her memory and to say our last goodbyes,” it says.
The community mourns as Jocelyn’s family and friends remember her as a bright and loving presence in their lives.
