Two men, whose immigration status is unknown to police, have been charged in the murder of a 12-year-old Houston girl whose body was found strangled in a creek this week, police said.
Houston police announced Thursday that Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, will be charged with murder in the death of Jocelyn Nungaray.
“It’s just an overwhelming sense of relief to know they’re not there,” Nungarei’s mother, Alexis Nungarei, said. Fox Houston.
Houston Police Lt. Steven Hope said investigators used surveillance footage to track Martinez and Ramos’ movements before and after the killing.
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This week, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nangaray was found strangled to death in a creek in Houston. (Courtesy of Fox Houston and the Nungarei Family)
Earlier this week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Nangaray had snuck out of her parents’ apartment and was at a convenience store talking on the phone with her 13-year-old boyfriend, who told investigators he heard Nangaray speaking with two people.
Police said Martinez and Ramos had spent the night together at a restaurant on Sunday night.
Police said they were seen on camera leaving the restaurant and walking south. They were then seen meeting up with Nungaray and talking with him for several minutes. Rangel-Martinez and Peña-Ramos then walked with Jocelyn to a 7-Eleven convenience store.
Authorities this week released images taken from surveillance cameras at the 7-Eleven where Nungarei was last seen.
The three then walked to a bridge, where Nungaray was killed, investigators said. Police said Rangel Martinez and Peña Ramos then walked to the apartment where the two lived and left the girl’s body there. Police believe the two lived in the same apartment building as Nungaray.
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Video images and images of Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, of Jocelyn Nungaray, both of Houston, are charged in the death of a 12-year-old girl. (Courtesy of Houston Police Department, Fox Houston and the Nungarei Family)
Alexis Nungarei said her daughter may have seen the pair but had never spoken to the strangers.
“She was probably seen in the housing complex, but she’s not someone that normally walks around,” she told the news station.
The Harris County coroner reported that Jocelyn died from strangulation, and authorities could not confirm whether the girl had been sexually assaulted.
Asked about reports that the men were from Venezuela, police declined to comment. Legal Status It had not yet been confirmed as of Thursday.
“We’ve been in contact with HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) and they’re investigating the circumstances and the legality of those things, so we’ll leave it to them to verify those things,” Acting Police Chief Larry J. Satterwhite told reporters.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE).
Following the arrests, Whitmire said the court must do its job and ensure both suspects receive a timely trial.
Houston Police Lt. Steven Hope spoke about Nungarei’s murder at a press conference. (Houston Police Department)
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“We will be watching you. Arrests have been made, charges have been filed, and now we are hoping the justice system will do its job. If there was ever a situation where we would not give bail to someone, it is now,” he said.
