Important events surrounding the death of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray

HOUSTON – KPRC 2 has been following the latest information in the case of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, the girl who was found strangled in a north Houston creek on June 17.

Jocelyn’s death sent shockwaves through the Houston area, as the search for those involved in her murder continues.

We will update you on the latest developments in this case as soon as more information becomes available.

Here is a timeline of events leading up to Jocelyn’s death and answers about what happened:

June 16, 2024

The night before Jocelyn’s death, her mother, Alexis Nungaray, told KPRC 2 that she last saw her daughter alive on Sunday night before they went to bed around 10 p.m. Her last words to Jocelyn were not to stay up late and that she would come to work with her mother the next day.

Houston police said Jocelyn sneaked out of the family’s apartment near Rankin Road sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight.

Investigators said Jocelyn’s boyfriend was the last person to speak to her on the phone. He reportedly told officers he heard her talking to the two men at the gas station before they hung up.

Christian Goffney, who works at the 7-Eleven on the corner of Rankin and Kuykendahl, said he had just finished his shift when he noticed Jocelyn hiding behind a nearby storage unit around 11:30 p.m. He noticed police in the area but thought nothing had happened.

June 17, 2024

At around 12:17 a.m., surveillance photos show Jocelyn in the 7-Eleven supermarket. In these images, investigators saw two suspicious people whom they wanted to question in connection with the girl’s death.

Around 3 a.m., Alexis said Jocelyn’s cat was “going crazy,” but she thought the cat was with her daughter since she sleeps with her pet at night.

A woman said she drove past the creek near 400 West Rankin Road, saw a body and immediately called 911 around 6:15 a.m.

The Houston Police Department dive team responded and recovered the body.

At the same time, Alexis woke up around 6 a.m. and began her usual routine of waking her 5-year-old son and Jocelyn, when she noticed that Jocelyn was missing.

She said she looked all around the house, walked around the apartment complex and then got in her car. Alexis reportedly tracked the location of her daughter’s cellphone, which she traced to the creek she ran through, and saw police officers counting votes in the area.

She said she told officials her daughter was missing, and it wasn’t until an hour later that she received a call saying it might be Jocelyn.

At 5:30 p.m., Houston Police held a press conference to inform the media and the public about the discovery of a body in a creek. Houston Mayor John Whitmire spoke to police about the discovery of the young girl’s body.

Investigators believe her death was the result of a crime and are currently looking for those responsible.

June 18, 2024

During a Houston City Council meeting around noon, Mayor Whitmire released further details on the case, saying that the 12-year-old girl’s boyfriend spoke to two adults before she was killed.

“Apparently the last time he spoke to her was around midnight in a supermarket and he heard her talking to two adults,” he said that Tuesday.

A source told KPRC 2 that Rankin and Kuykendahl’s 7/11 was monitoring the girl at the store. Christian Goffney, who works at the store, told KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel that he would see the 12-year-old girl regularly at the 7/11.

At 8:14 p.m., Houston police announced that the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences determined the 12-year-old died from strangulation. Police also released several surveillance photos from the 7-Eleven convenience store of two suspects they plan to question in connection with the girl’s death.

Investigators told KPRC 2’s Bryce Newberry that the two men were the last seen with the girl, and they don’t believe they ever left the area. The men did not arrive at the store with the girl, investigators said, but rather their paths crossed there.

The family asked for help to get the perpetrators off the streets.

June 19, 2024

Harris County coroners confirmed the girl’s identity as 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray.

A source gave KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel new surveillance photos of Jocelyn at the supermarket around 12:17 a.m. on June 17. In the video, she reportedly returned to the store, where she and the man in the white hat were standing at the door at around 12:58 a.m.

The family has set up a GoFundMe to honor Jocelyn. They also told us they are planning a memorial service for her and will let us know when an official date is set.

At around 5 p.m., 12-year-old Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, spoke about her loss for the first time since learning of her daughter’s murder.

Tears streamed down Alexis’ face as she spoke to KPRC 2 reporter Corley Peel about her daughter.

Alexis described her firstborn daughter as “crazy” and said she has her own “little guts.”

She also said Jocelyn never followed the crowd. “She always stood up for what was right,” Alexis said.

The heartbroken mother said she felt like she was in an alternate universe where she was experiencing an ongoing nightmare that never ended.

Alexis said she knows her daughter has fought hard and been a fighter, reiterating: “She needs justice, she doesn’t deserve this.”

She said she and Jocelyn have been through a lot in terms of their mental health in the last few months.

Alexis hopes that someone will come forward and that the universe will give her daughter’s killers “what they deserve.”

20 June 2024

Sources told KPRC 2 that two men considered suspects have been arrested by police. The unidentified men were also last seen on surveillance video with Jocelyn, hours before her death.

KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner and photojournalist Roger Franco were at the scene in north Houston, where there was a heavy police presence at an apartment complex on Northborough Drive in north Houston, near where Jocelyn’s body was found.

Our cameras were the only ones on the scene and captured the moment when both men were handcuffed and placed in the back of police cars.

Sources have also confirmed to KPRC 2 Investigates Mario Diaz what we saw at the scene. Minutes after KPRC 2 Investigates asked HPD Chief Larry Satterwhite to confirm our discovery, HPD released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying the two had been arrested, but no further details were provided.

HPD confirmed they would hold a press conference at 2 p.m. to provide further details.

During that press conference, Satterwhite said officers from HPD SWAT, Gang Division and Northern Division, as well as Homicide, conducted a coordinated operation at 13355 Northborough Drive at the Canfield Lake Apartment. The suspects were detained for questioning and detectives searched their apartment, where they found evidence related to Jocelyn’s murder.

The suspects were identified as Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 26, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 21. Both are charged with capital crimes in connection with the June 17 murder of Jocelyn.

Surveillance videos track the suspects’ steps

Investigators said Martinez and Ramos began their evening together at a Northborough-area restaurant and then headed south.

They allegedly continued south, were first seen on camera (the images were first released by HPD), and encountered Jocelyn on Kuykendahl Road.

Later, the suspects and the victim walked together to the 7-Eleven at the corner of Rankin and Kuykendahl Road, where additional surveillance video shows all three together.

After a few minutes at the supermarket, all three walked to a bridge where Jocelyn was murdered, police said. The suspects reportedly continued south to her home and left the girl’s body in the creek.

Anyone with information regarding the identities of the two people involved or this case is asked to contact HPD Homicide at 713-308-3600 or speak anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.