The men were seen on surveillance video with Jocelyn Nungaray before she was found dead early Monday, police said.
HOUSTON — Two men have been charged with capital murder in the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, the Houston Police Department announced Thursday.
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, 26, and Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, were seen on surveillance video with the girl before she was found dead in a north Houston creek early Monday.
Both suspects were arrested Thursday morning at the Canfield Lakes apartments on Northborough Drive where they lived together. They're the same men who were previously identified as persons of interest in connection with Jocelyn's death.
"Our team has worked tirelessly tracking evidence in this case," Lt. Stephen Hope said at a news conference.
KHOU 11 cameras were at the complex Thursday morning when HPD forensic investigators removed evidence from a unit. Witnesses also gave us images showing the suspects being questioned.
A woman who lives in the complex with her 14-year-old daughter was shaken up by the fact they lived so close.
"It could have been my child, you know, it's very emotional," she told us.
The woman, who asked us not to use her name, said Peña and Martinez moved in a few weeks ago.
"What did y'all move to our complex for? What were you thinking about? This was a 12-year-old girl, these are grown men," she said.
Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said the department worked around the clock to identify the killers and begin the process of finding 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, all the way to the bayou where she was murdered," Satterwhite said.
Investigators used surveillance cameras to track the movements of Martinez and Ramos before and after Jocelyn was strangled and dumped in the creek. They said the suspects ate at a restaurant on Northborough late Sunday and left on foot. They met Jocelyn near Kuykendahl Road and the three walked to a nearby convenience store. They left the store and walked to the bridge on West Rankin Road where Jocelyn was killed.
The Homeland Security Department is working to determine if the accused killers are legal residents of the U.S.
Surveillance cameras help identify suspects
The arrests came a day after new surveillance photos obtained by KHOU 11 News showed Jocelyn with one of the persons of interest. In one photo, they were walking into the 7-Eleven convenience store. In the other, they were in a parking lot and Jocelyn was looking at her phone and the taller man was walking beside her.
Earlier this week, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Jocelyn was at a convenience store and was talking to her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone after she snuck out of her family's apartment late Sunday. The boyfriend told police that he could hear Jocelyn talking with two grown-ups.
Hours later, Jocelyn was found in shallow water below the bridge on West Rankin Road near I-45.She'd been strangled and Whitmire said she was also raped. HPD hasn't confirmed that.
Satterwhite said they still want to hear from possible witnesses as they work to build a solid case against Martinez and Ramos.
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Credit: KHOU 11
Surveillance photos show 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray with one of the men that Houston police want to question about her death.
'We are going to be watching you'
At Thursday's news conference, the mayor said this case was personal.
"As the mayor, as a grandfather and a father, it doesn't get any worse," Whitmire said.
He credited HPD's tireless efforts as they combined "old-fashioned police work with new technology" to identify the suspects.
Whitmire also credited members of the community and area businesses as everyone came together for Jocelyn and her family. Now that the accused killers are in custody, Whitmire said it's up to the courts to do their job.
"I want to reach out to the court system, the justice system, we are going to be watching you," Whitmire said. "We have filed charges. If there is any circ*mstance where you deny bail, this is it."
Credit: Houston Police Department
'They took away my baby'
Jocelyn's mother, Alexis Nungaray, was told about the arrests before the charges were made public.
On Wednesday, she described her daughter as spunky, goofy, and loving.
“I’m, like, angry that they took advantage of her. She was so young. She was 12, you took my baby away, you took her away," Alexis said through tears. “Now, I get to let her little brother know his older sister is never coming home.”
Alexis said she was a teen mom when she had Jocelyn and she was excited to see what the future held for her daughter.
“She turned into a beautiful, beautiful young lady," Alexis said. “I was really looking forward to seeing how she was gonna be and they took every opportunity away from me and my family.”
She doesn't know why Jocelyn snuck out of their apartment Sunday night.
"I always told her, 'Never leave the house, never leave unattended, always be safe. There’s people around here that are crazy,'" Alexis said. “I just hope, I hope they are found because Jocelyn was a fighter. She fought hard. She needs justice. She didn’t deserve this and she needs to be rested at peace.”
Jocelyn's uncle said she was always smiling and loved her family very much.
"Jocy was a smart, loving, nurturing young lady. She brightened up the room every time she came by and was loved by everyone around," Joamel Guevara said. "She had no reason to die the way she did."
A GoFundMe.com account was set up on behalf of Jocelyn's family to help pay for funeral expenses.
RELATED: 'You took my baby away' | Mother of 12-year-old found strangled in creek left devastated, angry
