2 men arrested after allegedly raping and fatally strangling 12-year-old girl near bridge

HOUSTON (TCN) -- Two men are in custody on suspicion of killing a young girl at a bridge and leaving her remains near a creek where she was later found.

In a press conference held earlier this week, Houston Police Lt. Stephen Hope said an individual called 911 on the morning of Monday, June 17, after finding a body in shallow water near Rankin Road. Officers responded to the scene and found a 12-year-old girl, later identified by police as Jocelyn Nungaray, deceased. The Harris County Institute of Forensics Sciences listed her cause of death as strangulation.

The young victim had reportedly snuck out of her house the previous night.

Officers posted surveillance photos, seeking two possible persons of interest. On June 20, police announced the arrest of the two suspects in the surveillance photos, 26-year-old Franklin Ramos and 21-year-old Johan Martinez.

According to authorities, investigators obtained surveillance footage that showed Martinez and Ramos eating at a restaurant on Sunday, June 16, and then leaving on foot. They reportedly met Nungaray and walked to a convenience store. Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Nungaray spoke with her 13-year-old boyfriend on the phone at the store, and he allegedly overheard her speaking with adults, KHOU-TV reports.

Martinez, Ramos, and Nungaray later went to a bridge, where the two suspects allegedly strangled the girl to death before dumping her body near a creek. Whitmire also reportedly said the victim had been raped, but police did not confirm that.

Officials arrested Martinez and Ramos at their home on Thursday, June 20, on charges of capital murder. Officers said they are working with Homeland Security to determine if the suspects are legal U.S. residents.

Whitmire called Nungaray's death a "sad moment for the city of Houston."

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