Terrifying new details have been revealed in the investigation into the murder of a 12-year-old girl who was found strangled in a Texas creek just hours after running away from home.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s body was found floating in a swamp near her Houston home on Monday, after she ran away from the house at 10 p.m.
Two suspects, Johan José Martínez Rangel, 22, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, have been charged with capital murder.
Police have revealed that the couple, who were in the United States illegally from Venezuela, allegedly lured Jocelyn under a bridge, where they held her for more than two hours, possibly gang-raping her after they tied her up and took off her pants. .
When the duo was done with their depraved acts, they allegedly killed the girl by strangling her, before dumping her body in Greenpoint Creek.
Prosecutors say the case would not qualify for the death penalty unless Evidence is found that shows that the girl was sexually assaulted.
Investigators are still waiting for test results to confirm whether Jocelyn was raped.
Jocelyn Nungaray’s body was found floating in a swamp near her Houston home on Monday after the 12-year-old girl ran away from home at 10 pm Sunday night.
Johan José Martínez Rangel, 22, has been charged with capital murder. He was previously arrested near El Paso on March 14, but was let go with a notice to appear at a later date.
Franklin José Peña 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 in recent months by the US Border Patrol, but were released. It is unclear when the couple entered the country.
According to ICE, Border Patrol detained Rangel near El Paso on March 14 and 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 that bail be set at $1 million for each.
Police had released images of two persons of interest seen with Jocelyn hours before her death, after she sneaked out of her home on Sunday night.
This final image of Jocelyn shows her entering a convenience store near her home. It is there where she ran into the two men allegedly responsible for ending her life.
It is believed that Jocelyn first encountered the two men when she went to a convenience store.
Johan José Rangel Martínez, 22, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, pictured, have now been charged with capital murder following a search for the suspects.
Johan José Rangel Martínez, 22, appears in the photo during his arrest. Police said the suspects resided in the same apartment complex as the victim.
The men then allegedly subjected Jocelyn to a two-hour ordeal before throwing her into the creek under the bridge.
Officers said the suspects lived on the same block as the girl and ran into the preteen while walking with her to a convenience store.
Surveillance footage shows her calling her 13-year-old boyfriend from the store around midnight that night and then entering the store.
speaking to ABC13Passerby Billie Jackson explained how she found the girl’s body.
“I drove by and when I looked down the creek, I thought it was a mannequin. I made a U-turn and stopped on the bridge, turned on my flashers, looked down and realized it was someone. I parked right here and called the 911 immediately.
Jocelyn’s grieving mother, Alexis Nungary, is struggling to process what happened.
“It’s like it’s not real,” he said. Click2Houston. “I keep hearing everything, and I hear it and it doesn’t register.”
She recalled telling her daughter on Sunday not to stay up too late, as she would meet her at work the next day. They were the last words he said to his daughter.
At 3 a.m. Monday, Alexis said she noticed Jocelyn’s cat was “going crazy,” but assumed she was with her daughter, who always slept with her pet at night.
It wasn’t until he woke up at 6 a.m. and began his normal routine of waking up his five-year-old son and Jocelyn that he realized his daughter was missing.
Alexis also said she doesn’t know why Jocelyn ran away from home, although she noted that she has been struggling with her mental health in recent months.
“I don’t know why, what prompted her to walk late at night in this area, precisely,” Alexis said.
‘I always told her to never leave the house, to never leave her unattended and to always be safe. There are people around here who are crazy. I don’t think she ever thought she would stand up to her.
She and other family members have described the preteen as a loving and affectionate child.
Family members have described the preteen as a loving and affectionate child.
His grieving mother, Alexis Nungaray, pictured, is struggling to process what happened.
Houston police had issued a notice saying both men were persons of interest in the case.
Jocelyn’s body was found in a creek near her home in Houston.
Her uncle Joamel said: “Jocy was an intelligent, loving and caring young woman. She lit up the room every time she came and was loved by everyone around her.”
Alexis also described her as a “best friend” who was “very silly.” “She had aspirations for life,” Alexis said. “She loved everyone, she was very kind.”
Alexis said he suspects the two men live at 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.
‘He is very young, he is 12 years old. I want justice. I want whoever saw them to call the police. They took my baby.’
TO GoFundMe A fund has now been set up to pay for Jocelyn’s funeral, which as of Friday afternoon had raised almost $40,000.
“Her family was not prepared for such a loss and (needs) help to give their daughter the tribute she deserves, honor her memory and say our last goodbye,” he says.