In a shocking and tragic incident, two men in Texas were arrested on Thursday for allegedly assaulting and strangling 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, then leaving her body in a shallow creek.
The investigation began on Monday around 6:15 a.m. when police discovered Jocelyn’s body near 400 West Rankin Road in north Houston. An autopsy confirmed she had been strangled, and Houston Mayor John Whitmire revealed she had also been raped.
Detectives learned through interviews and surveillance footage that Jocelyn had sneaked out of her apartment late Sunday night to meet her 13-year-old boyfriend. As per to the source nbcnews
The boyfriend told police they went to a restaurant where they met two men. Surveillance video captured the group walking to a convenience store before heading to a bridge on Rankin Road, where police believe the men murdered Jocelyn.
After releasing surveillance images to the public, investigators identified the suspects as 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos and 21-year-old Johan Jose Rangel Martinez.
SWAT teams arrested the men at their apartment on Thursday morning. Both men are facing capital murder charges. “As the mayor, as a grandfather and a father, it doesn’t get any worse,” Mayor Whitmire said at a press conference.
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Jocelyn’s family is devastated by the loss. Her mother, Alexis Nungaray, expressed her anguish to local CBS affiliate KHOU, saying, “She was so young.
You took my baby away, you took her away. Now, I get to let her little brother know his older sister is never coming home.” Nungaray described her daughter as a “beautiful, beautiful young lady” with a promising future.
A family friend has started a GoFundMe campaign to help cover funeral costs and other expenses.
“Her family was not prepared for such a loss and needed help to give her the memorial she deserves, to honor her memory, and to say our last goodbyes,” the fundraiser description reads.