Houston (TCN) — Two men have been detained on suspicion of killing a young girl on a bridge and leaving her body near a stream where it was later found.
At a press conference held earlier this week, Houston police Lt. Stephen Hope said he called 911 after discovering the body in shallow water near Rankin Road on Monday morning, June 17. Police responded to the scene and found a 12-year-old girl, later identified by police as Jocelyn Nungaray. The Harris County Forensic Laboratory listed her cause of death as strangulation.
The victim is known to have sneaked out of his home the night before.
Officers are looking for two persons of interest by posting surveillance photos. Police announced on June 20 that they had arrested the two suspects in surveillance photos: 26-year-old Franklin Ramos and 21-year-old Johan Martinez.
According to authorities, investigators obtained surveillance video that showed Martinez and Ramos leaving on foot after eating at a restaurant on Sunday, June 16. They reportedly met Nungarey and walked to a convenience store. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Nungarei was on the phone with her 13-year-old boyfriend at her store, and he overheard her talking to her adults, KHOU-TV reported.
Martinez, Ramos and Nungarey later went to the bridge, where the two suspects allegedly strangled the girl to death and dumped her body near a stream. Whitmire also reportedly stated that the victim had been sexually assaulted, but the police did not confirm this.
Authorities arrested Martinez and Ramos at their home on Thursday, June 20, on capital murder charges. Police said they are working with the Department of Homeland Security to determine if the suspect is a legal U.S. resident.
Whitmire called Nungaray's death “a sad moment for the city of Houston.”
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