The two men charged with the murder of a 12-year-old Texas girl are immigrants from Venezuela, and one arrived less than a month ago, it has emerged.
Johan José Rangel Martínez, 21, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, have been charged with capital murder after Jocelyn Nungaray’s body was found floating in a stream. near his home in Houston on Monday.
Ramos crossed the border in El Paso, Texas, on May 28 and was fitted with a GPS tracker to monitor his location after being interviewed by border agents.
He told them he planned to live with his cousin in Houston, but the tracker was only set to monitor his movements for 21 days.
A medical examiner determined that Jocelyn was strangled to death and investigators are awaiting test results to confirm whether she was raped as well as murdered.
Jocelyn Nungary, 12, was found dead from strangulation in a shallow creek near her home on Sunday.
Ramos was released into the country after telling officials he feared for his life if he was returned to his home country, sources said. The charge.
It is unclear if he was still wearing the GPS tag at the time of Jocelyn’s murder.
Police released images of two persons of interest seen with the preteen hours before her death, after she ran away from home around 10 p.m.
Officers said the suspects, who lived on the same block as the girl, ran into Jocelyn and accompanied her to a convenience store.
She called her 13-year-old boyfriend from the store around midnight that night.
He reported hearing her talking to two adults, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced at a news conference Tuesday.
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.
Johan José Rangel Martínez, 21, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, have been charged with capital murder following a search for the suspects.
Police said the suspects resided in the same apartment complex as the victim.
It is believed that Jocelyn first encountered the two men when she went to a convenience store.
His grieving mother, Alexis Nungary, is now 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. 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.
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 now struggling to process what happened.
Earlier this week, Houston police issued a notice saying the two men were persons of interest in the case.
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.
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.’
