Distressing images show the final moments of a 12-year-old Texas girl who was found raped and strangled in a creek after running away from her home after going to bed.
Jocelyn Nungaray is seen standing next to a man, who has been named a person of interest in the murder, as she enters a convenience store in Houston.
Another image shows the young woman in the store parking lot hours before she was found in shallow water under a bridge, after being strangled and raped.
Police said earlier this week that she had called her 13-year-old boyfriend from the store around midnight, where he heard her talking to two adults.
Nungaray had lived with his family in an apartment complex not far from where his body was found, and police believed he escaped Sunday night.
Jocelyn Nungaray is seen with a man, who has been identified by police in north Houston as a person of interest, entering a convenience store.
Jocelyn Nungary, 12, was found dead from strangulation in a shallow creek near her home Monday morning.
Another image shows the young woman in the store parking lot hours before she was found in shallow water under a bridge.
His body was found by passerby Billie Jackson shortly after 6am on Monday morning in a shallow creek.
speaking to ABC13Jackson said, “I walked by and when I looked down at the creek, I thought it was a mannequin.”
“I made a U-turn, stopped on the bridge, turned on my flashers, looked down and realized it was someone. I parked right here and called 911 right away.
His grieving mother, Alexis Nungaray, is now struggling to process what happened.
“It’s like it’s not real.” he told Click2Houston. “I keep hearing everything, and everyone tells me everything, and I listen to it and I don’t register it.”
She recalled telling her daughter on Sunday not to stay up too late, as she would meet her at work the next day. Those would be the last words he spoke 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.
Earlier this week, Houston police issued a notice saying the two men were persons of interest in the case. None have been identified or arrested.
His grieving mother, Alexis Nungaray, pictured, is now struggling to process what had happened.
Nungaray began frantically searching the house and apartment complex for her daughter before pinging her cell phone, which tracked her to the creek.
Her mother is now seeking justice for her young daughter, adding that she doesn’t think she knows the two men seen with Jocelyn at the convenience store.
She said she suspects they 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 mad,” Alexis told Click2Houston. ‘They took advantage of her. She is very young, she is 12 years old.
“I want justice,” he continued. ‘I want whoever saw them to call the police. They took my baby.’
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.
Billie Jackson said she noticed Jocelyn’s body in the creek when she was returning home after dropping her husband off at work Monday morning.
‘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.
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.”
TO GoFundMe It has now been set up to pay for Jocelyn’s funeral, which as of Thursday morning had raised more than $19,000.
“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.