Arrests made after 12-year-old Houston girl found dead in creek; a suspect allegedly tried to escape via a balcony

Two men who were seen on surveillance footage with a 12-year-old girl before her body was found in a Houston creek earlier this week were arrested Thursday in connection with her death, police said. One of the suspects tried to jump from a balcony and escape before officers caught him, a neighbor told CBS affiliate KHOU-TV.

Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, each face a capital murder charge in the killing of Jocelyn Nungaray, police said. The medical examiner determined the cause of death to be strangulation.

It is unclear whether the two suspects still had attorneys to speak on their behalf. Their names were not listed in court records as of Thursday afternoon.

Jocelyn’s body was found in the shallow water of a creek early Monday morning. Police said she had run away from her nearby home the night before.

Police said surveillance footage showed the men meeting Jocelyn before going with her to a convenience store.

The three men then walked together to the bridge where Jocelyn was killed, police said. It was not yet known whether Jocelyn knew the men, who were roommates, police said.

Police said the results of the sexual assault examination of the victim were awaited.

Police on Tuesday released photos from surveillance footage of the two men, who were called persons of interest at the time.

Neighbors at the complex where the arrests took place arrived around 4 a.m. and used a loudspeaker to order the men out, KHOU-TV reported. When they did not, the officers approached the second-floor apartment with their weapons drawn.

A neighbor told KHOU-TV that one of the suspects tried to jump off the balcony to escape, but officers surrounded the area and quickly caught him.

Residents told the station that Ramos and Martinez would often sit on their balcony and yell at women who walked by.

Forensic investigators were seen removing boxes of evidence from the apartment Thursday, KHOU-TV reported.

Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said the department worked around the clock to identify the killers and begin the process of seeking justice for Jocelyn and her family.

“Their hard work paid off. We were able to find video and trace the movements of the suspects and Jocelyn, back to the bayou where she was murdered,” Satterwhite said.

Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, described her daughter as spunky, goofy and loving, KHOU-TV reported.

“I’m angry that they took advantage of her. She was so young. She was 12, you took my baby, you took her,” she said. “Now I can let his little brother know that his older sister is never coming home.”