Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was “sexually abused” before she was murdered and dumped in a Houston creek

Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually abused before she was murdered and dumped in a creek in north Houston in mid-June, the Houston Forensic Science Center confirmed Monday.

As ABC13 reported, prosecutors received the HFSC’s findings on Sunday, which say the girl was attacked before two men strangled her and threw her into a creek.

Johan Jose Martinez Rangel, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were both charged with capital crimes in connection with Jocelyn’s death and remain in jail on $10 million bail each.

READ MORE: Jocelyn Nungaray murder: Everything we know about the brutal murder of a 12-year-old in Houston

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When they were arrested, neither was considered eligible for the death penalty because of Nungaray’s age, sources said, but Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg told reporters last week that they would be eligible for the death penalty if evidence of sexual abuse was found and the state could then seek to revoke their bail.

Nungaray is believed to have sneaked out of her home around 10pm on Sunday, June 16, local authorities believe. She then met the two men while out for a walk. They allegedly asked her for directions after she encountered them on Kuykendahl Road.

Then, court documents allege, they lured her under a nearby bridge and held her there in handcuffs for two hours. She was raped, then strangled and thrown into the creek over which the bridge crosses.

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A passerby reportedly found her body floating in the water around 7 a.m. the next morning, ABC13 reported. Her mother learned of her daughter’s death about an hour after reporting her missing that morning – she couldn’t find her in the house and feared she had sneaked out.

She tracked the creek on her phone and found police there. That night, Alexis Nungaray was reportedly awakened by Jocelyn’s cat acting up in the house, but she had assumed her daughter was with her.

Video footage from the area shows the underage girl with the two men in a 7-Eleven, then walking with them down the street and talking on the phone with her boyfriend, her mother said. She appears visibly uncomfortable in the footage.

Further footage shows the trio walking toward the creek, ABC13 reported. The time is given as 12:57 a.m. About two hours later, at 3:04 a.m., the two men showed up without Jocelyn.

An autopsy later confirmed death by strangulation, and now HFSC findings confirm further details about what happened to Jocelyn that fateful night.

The newspaper reported that the state interviewed two witnesses who said they saw both men at a local bar just hours before Jocelyn’s brutal murder. Another witness allegedly heard Pena confess that he and Martinez killed the girl after they went out partying, looking for some money so they could leave town.

Both men reportedly worked in construction and had asked their boss for the money in question after he explained what had happened, the lead prosecutor told the station. In court on Monday, it was reportedly revealed that Pena tried to tell Martinez to stop, but Martinez persisted, put his arm around Jocelyn’s neck, covered her mouth and strangled her to death.

After she was dead, Martinez is said to have tied her up and ordered his companion to throw her body into the water to remove all traces of DNA. He then allegedly admitted to changing his appearance to avoid attracting attention. Among other things, he changed his beard. However, he was unable to cover up the bite marks and scratches he allegedly had on his arm.

Both suspects were reportedly in the United States illegally from Venezuela. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said it was not certain how or when the men entered the country.

Martinez was allegedly arrested by ICE in El Paso on March 14, but was then released on his own bond with a summons to appear in court later. Pena was arrested months later, on May 28, also near El Paso. A judge ordered him to appear in court later that same day. Both are now being held by ICE, meaning they have nowhere to go even if they can pay their bail.