Texas authorities are investigating a link between two illegal immigrants accused of raping and murdering a 12-year-old girl and the notorious Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
Two suspects, Johan José Martínez Rangel, 22, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, were charged in June with the brutal murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston.
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 in new search warrants, investigators revealed that Rangel and Ramos displayed posters and nicknames on their social networks that are linked to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found raped and murdered near her home in Houston, Texas, in June.
Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, was one of two illegal immigrants charged with Nungaray’s death, as investigators are looking into a possible link to the Tren de Aragua gang.
Authorities also charged Johan José Martínez Rangel, 22, with the murder, and say the two suspects held Nungaray for hours under a bridge before strangling her.
The Tren de Aragua gang has come into the spotlight as the migrant crisis has fueled fears that gang members have crossed the southern border and established bases in American cities.
In recent months, images have emerged of armed gangsters taking over an apartment complex in Aurora, Colorado, sparking outrage in the community.
Following the arrest of Rangel and Ramos, investigators wrote in the most recent warrants that Tren de Aragua ‘will use certain slang and emojis in their communications with each other to identify themselves.’
The warrants led a judge to grant a request by the Houston Police Department to obtain social media records that could verify the suspect’s gang affiliations, which could strengthen the case against him, reports news week.
Signs related to the gang reportedly include specific hand signs, wearing Chicago Bulls or Michael Jordan merchandise, and small shoulder tattoos such as clocks, trains, roses, and two stars.
On social media, members use emojis including a ninja, crossed swords and a classic building to signal to others that they are part of the gang.
On TikTok, Ramos reportedly shared photos of her tattoos with her followers, including a rose on her hand and two stars on each shoulder.
The arrests of Rangel (pictured) and Ramos in June sparked outrage when ICE revealed they had entered the United States illegally.
Cops say the suspects may have shared possible Aragua Train signs on social media, including specific hand signals, use of Chicago Bulls or Michael Jordan merchandise and small shoulder tattoos such as clocks, trains, roses and two stars.
Nungaray’s body was found near his home in Houston after he ran away late at night.
The arrests of Rangel and Ramos in June sparked outrage when ICE revealed that they had entered the United States illegally, at a time when millions of undocumented immigrants were crossing the southern border.
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. Investigators said they placed a monitor on his ankle and then he shared an image on social media showing Air Jordan shoes.
Investigators added in the filing that he was believed to have taken the photograph at Sacred Heart Church in El Paso, Texas, a makeshift migrant shelter where he remained after being released.
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.
Jocelyn’s tragic murder unfolded on June 16, hours after she ran away from her home around 10 p.m. and her body was found floating in a nearby swamp.
After allegedly holding Jocelyn hostage under a bridge for two hours and raping her, the two suspects allegedly strangled the 12-year-old girl.
This final image of Jocelyn shows her entering a convenience store near her home. It is there where he ran into the two men allegedly responsible for ending his life.
It is believed that Jocelyn first encountered the two men when she went to a convenience store.
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.
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 ABC13, bystander 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, said after her daughter’s body was found that she was struggling to process the tragedy.
“It’s like it’s not real,” he told Click2Houston. “I keep hearing everything, and I hear it and it doesn’t register.”
