Two men seen on surveillance footage with a 12-year-old girl before her body was found in a Houston creek earlier this week were arrested Thursday in her death, police said. One of the suspects tried to jump from a balcony and escape before officers caught him, a neighbor told CBS affiliate KHOU-TV.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, each face one count of murder in the death of Jocelyn Nungaray, police said. The medical examiner determined her cause of death was strangulation.
It was unclear whether the two suspects still had lawyers to speak on their behalf. Their names were no longer listed in jail or court records Thursday afternoon.
Jocelyn’s body was found early Monday morning in the shallow water of a creek. Police have said she snuck out of her nearby home the night before.
Police said surveillance footage showed the men meeting Jocelyn before walking her to a convenience store.
The three then walked together to the bridge where Jocelyn was killed, police said. It was not yet known whether Jocelyn knew the men, who were roommates, police said.
Police said the results of an investigation into sexual abuse of the victim are pending.
Police on Tuesday released photos from surveillance footage of the two men, who were identified as persons of interest at the time.
Neighbors of the complex where the arrests took place arrived around 4 a.m. and used a loudspeaker to order the men to come out, KHOU-TV reported. When they didn’t, officers approached the second-floor apartment with weapons drawn.
A neighbor told KHOU-TV that one of the suspects tried to jump off the balcony to get away, but officers had the scene surrounded and they quickly grabbed him.
Residents told the station that Ramos and Martinez often sat on their balconies and shouted at passersby.
Forensic investigators were seen removing boxes of evidence from the apartment on Thursday, KHOU-TV reported.
Acting Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite said the department was working 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 footage and track the movements of the suspects and Jocelyn all the way to the bayou where she was killed,” Satterwhite said.
Jocelyn’s mother, Alexis Nungaray, described her daughter as feisty, goofy and loving, KHOU-TV reported.
“I’m angry that they took advantage of her. She was so young. She was 12, you took my baby, you took her,” she said. “Now I get to let her little brother know that his older sister is never coming home.”
