2 arrested in death of 12-year-old girl who disappeared from 7-Eleven

Two men were arrested Thursday in connection with the death of a 12-year-old Texas girl whose body was found in a creek Monday, Houston officials said.

Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, had sneaked out of her home Sunday evening and was last seen on surveillance footage entering a 7-Eleven just after midnight, officials said at a news conference . In the video, she is seen talking to two men.

Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, who were roommates, were arrested on a preliminary charge of capital murder in the case, according to Houston authorities. Both had not yet been booked as of Thursday afternoon.

Alexis Nungaray told Houston television station KPRC that she last saw her daughter before 10 p.m. Sunday, but noticed her missing the next day, around 6 a.m.

Jocelyn’s 13-year-old boyfriend allegedly spoke to her on the phone while she was at the store and could have heard her talking to two adults, according to KTRK-TV in Houston.

Lt. Stephen Hope of the Houston Police Department told reporters Thursday that the victim’s boyfriend and his family have been “extremely” cooperative with authorities in the investigation.

Hope said the two were seen on video speaking with Jocelyn outside the 7-Eleven for several minutes before entering the store together. They headed toward a bridge moments later, Hope said, near where Jocelyn was found dead.

“I always told him to never leave the house, never leave unsupervised, always be safe – there are crazy people here. I don’t think she ever thought it would face her,” Alexis Nungaray told KPRC.

The two headed south toward the apartment shared by Martinez and Ramos and allegedly left the girl near the bridge, Hope said.

Alexis Nungaray told KPRC she tracked her daughter’s phone to the creek the next morning and saw officers canvassing the area. She was officially informed an hour later that her daughter was dead.

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined that Jocelyn died of strangulation, KPRC reported.

Ramos and Martinez were taken into custody at their apartment on Thursday and officers who searched their home reportedly found evidence linked to Jocelyn’s death.

Her mother told KPRC she was still trying to come to terms with her daughter’s death.

“It’s like it’s not real. I keep hearing everything and everyone is telling me everything, and I hear it and it doesn’t register,” she said.