The two men accused of killing a 12-year-old Texas girl are migrants from Venezuela, and one arrived less than a month ago, it has emerged.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, have been charged with capital murder after the body of Jocelyn Nungaray was found floating in a creek near her home in Houston on Monday.
Ramos crossed the border at El Paso, Texas, on May 28 and was fitted with a GPS tracker to track his location after being interviewed by border agents.
He told them he planned to live with his cousin in Houston, but the tracker would only track his movements for 21 days.
A medical examiner found that Jocelyn died of strangulation and investigators are awaiting the results of tests to confirm whether she was both raped and murdered.
Jocelyn Nungary, 12, was found dead of 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 were sent back to his home country, sources said. The mail.
It is unclear whether he was still wearing the GPS tag at the time of Jocelyn’s murder.
Police have released images of two persons of interest seen with the teenager hours before her death after sneaking out of her home around 10pm.
Officers said the suspects, who lived on the same block as the girl, encountered Jocelyn and walked her to a convenience store.
She called her 13-year-old boyfriend from the convenience store around midnight that night.
He reported hearing her talking to two adults, Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced at a news conference on Tuesday.
Her body was found shortly after 6 a.m. Monday by passerby Billie Jackson in a shallow creek.
Speak with ABC13Jackson said, “I was driving by, and when I looked up the creek, I thought it was a mannequin.
“I made a U-turn and stopped on the bridge, put my lights on, looked down and realized it was someone. I parked here and immediately called 911.”
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, have now been charged with capital murder after a manhunt for the suspects
Police said the suspects lived in the same apartment complex as the victim
It is believed that Jocelyn first met the two men when she went to a supermarket
Her grieving mother, Alexis Nungary, is now struggling to come to terms with what happened.
“It’s like it’s not real,” she said Click2Houston. “I keep hearing everything, and I hear it and it doesn’t register.”
She recalled telling her daughter not to stay up too late on Sunday as she was at her work the next day. Those would be the last words she ever spoke to her daughter.
At 3 a.m. Monday, Alexis said she noticed Jocelyn’s cat was “going crazy,” but assumed the cat was with her daughter, who always slept with her pet at night.
It wasn’t until she woke up at 6 a.m. and started her normal routine of waking her five-year-old son and Jocelyn that she noticed her daughter was missing.
Alexis also said she doesn’t know why Jocelyn snuck out of the house, although she noted that she has been struggling with her mental health in recent months.
“I don’t know why, what possessed her to walk around this area late at night,” Alexis said.
‘I always told her never to leave the house, never to leave unattended and to always be safe.
‘There are people here who are crazy. I don’t think she ever thought this would happen to her.’
She and other family members have described the preteen as a loving and caring child.
Family members have described the preteen as a loving and caring child
Her grieving mother, Alexis Nungaray, pictured here, is now struggling to come to terms with what happened
Earlier this week, police in Houston issued a notice saying the two men were both of interest in the case
Billie Jackson said she saw Jocelyn’s body in the creek on her way home after dropping her husband off at work Monday morning
Her uncle Joamel said: “Jocy was a smart, loving, caring young lady. She brightened the room every time she passed by and was loved by everyone in the neighborhood.”
Alexis also described her as the “greatest friend” who was “very goofy.” “She had lifelong ambitions,” Alexis said. “She loved everyone, was so kind.”
Alexis said she suspects the two men live at the apartment complex or 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.
‘She’s so young, she’s twelve. I want justice. I want whoever saw them to call the police. They took my baby.”