Two men charged with murder in the murder of a 12-year-old Houston girl whose body was found strangled in a creek this week are Venezuelan migrants who entered the United States illegally.
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.
Peña Ramos crossed into the U.S. illegally in El Paso, Texas, in May, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to Fox News. He was apprehended by Border Patrol agents and released into the U.S. with a notice to appear.
Rangel Martinez also entered El Paso illegally in March and was arrested by the Border Patrol. He was released into the U.S. for unknown reasons.
Immigrant arrested after raping 13-year-old girl in broad daylight in New York park
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)
Fox News Digital has reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for more information on the suspect’s situation but has not yet heard back.
“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.
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.
As migrants flock to the border, Biden and Texas clash over anti-illegal immigration legislation: What you need to know
The video images show Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and Jocelyn Nungaray, three men who are charged in the death of a 12-year-old Houston girl. (Houston Police Department | Fox Houston Courtesy of the Nangaray Family)
Alexis Nungarei said her daughter may have seen the couple but never spoke to 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.
Following the arrests, Whitmire said the court must do its job and ensure both suspects receive a timely trial.
Houston Police Lt. Steven Hope speaks at a press conference about Nungarei’s murder. (Houston Police Department)
Click here to get the FOX News app
“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 someone bail, it is now,” he said.
