Funeral held in Houston for 12-year-old girl whose body was found in creek

HOUSTON (AP) — A 12-year-old Texas girl who was found dead in a creek near her home was remembered Thursday for her love of reading and animals.

Among those attending Nungaray’s funeral were Houston Mayor John Whitmire, a Democrat, and Cecilia Abbott, wife of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

“We are saddened but we are outraged and angry that this is happening in our community,” Whitmire, who was elected in December, told mourners. “We will follow this case through the criminal justice system.”

Jocelyn’s body was found in a creek on June 17. A forensic pathologist concluded that she had been strangled. Police say she had run away from home the night before. Prosecutors have charged two Venezuelans who entered the United States illegally with capital murder, and Republicans have used the death to highlight what they see as the failure of President Joe Biden’s immigration policies. .

Jocelyn’s grandfather, Kelvin Alvarenga, said earlier this week that his granddaughter’s death could have been avoided if the country’s immigration system had been “rebuilt.”

Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was also at the service for Jocelyn. Greg Abbott and Patrick are harsh critics of Biden’s policies.

Numerous studies have shown that immigrants are less attracted to violent crime than U.S.-born citizens. A study published by the National Academy of Sciences, based on Texas Department of Public Safety data from 2012 to 2018, found that U.S.-born U.S. residents were twice as likely to be arrested for crimes violent than people in the country illegally.

At a funeral home service Thursday, Jocelyn was remembered as a girl with a bright smile who loved animals, the TV series “Stranger Things,” Harry Potter and baking. She also had eclectic musical tastes: One of her favorite songs, the early 1960s hit “Coney Island Baby” by The Excellents, was played as mourners watched a slide show.

“I will always remember her big beautiful smile and her beautiful bright eyes, and her beautiful curls,” said Julie Gonzales, Jocelyn’s great-aunt. She said Jocelyn was sweet and reserved, and would “head straight” to the book section wherever they went.

Venezuelan nationals Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, are each being held on $10 million bail in the Harris County Jail in Houston. Both men were arrested earlier this year near El Paso by the U.S. Border Patrol after entering the country without papers. Both were released and scheduled to appear in court at a later date. The Associated Press left phone messages Thursday night with attorneys listed for both men.

Prosecutors say Martinez-Rangel and Peña Ramos lured the girl under a bridge and stayed with her for more than two hours. They say the defendants took off her pants, tied her up and killed her before throwing her body in the creek.