Two men arrested after 12-year-old girl found raped and strangled in stream

A heartbroken mother mourns the death of her 12-year-old daughter after she was found raped and murdered in a stream.

Jocelyn Nungaray disappeared after being seen with two men at a 7-Eleven in Texas. The next day, her body was found strangled and abandoned. Police have now arrested two suspects in connection with the young girl’s tragic death.

The suspects, identified as Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were captured on video footage with Jocelyn before she was found dead in a Houston creek. Both men now face felony charges, with the medical examiner confirming strangulation as the cause of death.

Jocelyn is believed to have sneaked out of her home in Houston, Texas, after her mother, Alexis Nungaray, fell asleep around 10 p.m. on Sunday. When Alexis woke up the next morning, she realized her daughter was missing and used her cellphone to track down Jocelyn at a nearby skate park.

Tragically, Jocelyn’s phone was later found in a creek near her body. “I looked everywhere, walked around, nothing,” Alexis told KRIV-TV, a local Fox station, Mirror US reports.

“I ran and got in my car when her phone pinged right behind us in the park. There was already police tape and police officers.”

Early in the morning, around 6 a.m., a passerby called police after seeing the body of a child in the water, according to NBC affiliate KPRC. The body was identified by the coroner the next day as that of Jocelyn, and the cause of death was given as strangulation. Houston Mayor John Whitmire announced that Jocelyn had been sexually abused, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.

Local authorities released video surveillance footage on Tuesday showing two men who were considered persons of interest at the time. The surveillance footage showed them talking to Jocelyn before they all entered a store together.

Between 1 and 2 a.m., the group was seen heading toward a bridge near where Jocelyn was brutally killed. According to KRIV, police believe the trio lived in the same apartment complex. Jocelyn’s mother struggled with her grief and admitted she didn’t recognize the two men in the video footage. “I want karma to hit them,” she told KPRC before the boys were nabbed by cops.

“I’m angry. They took advantage of her. She’s so young. She’s 12,” she revealed. “She was an incredible little girl, incredible. I was so excited to see the woman she would grow into.”

“I want justice. I want them to come forward. Whoever saw them should please call the police. They took my baby away from me,” was their request before the suspects were arrested.

To cover funeral expenses, a GoFundMe campaign was set up and quickly raised over $9,000. “Regardless of the talent show fundraiser, nothing can bring my daughter back,” Alexis painfully admitted.

As of Thursday afternoon, it was unclear whether the suspects had legal representation, and their names were not listed in jail or court records. Jocelyn’s body was found in the shallow waters of a creek early Monday morning after she reportedly sneaked out of her nearby home the night before.

According to police, it is not yet known whether Jocelyn knew the two men who were roommates. The results of the victim’s sexual assault investigation are still pending.