‘She was like a sister to me’: Friends and family remember 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray as kind, funny and vibrant (2024)

HOUSTON – Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old girl who was found strangled to death in a creek in north Houston was remembered Thursday as a vibrant, kind, funny and loving girl during funeral services.

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Gabby, a friend of Jocelyn’s for the last three years, read a tribute during the services. “We got to laugh, play, cry, get on each other’s nerves. She was so funny. . .she loves animals. She was smart and has a good heart. Jocelyn gave me the courage to be myself and speak up for myself and for that I will always be grateful. I love you, Jocelyn.”

“She was like a sister to me,” classmate Allison Maldonado told KPRC 2′s Corley Peel. “She was really funny, pretty. She’s really friendly,” Maldonado said, adding she will miss Jocelyn’s kindness the most.

Jocelyn’s great aunt wept as she recounted memories, saying she was with her when she came into the world and took her first breath and the day before she took her last breath.

“And now she’s forever taken from us. But my favorite memory was when she was a baby and a toddler. My favorite was her crawling in and out of my room, she was always there. I want to think it was for me, but I think it was for my son, Geo’s, toys. He had a lot of toys,” Tia Julie said.

“But I will always remember her big beautiful smile and beautiful bright eyes and she had such beautiful curly locks,” Julie said, adding that Jocelyn loved to read, especially Harry Potter and the Stranger Things series.

On June 16, the day before she was killed, Jocelyn rode home from a family vacation with Tia Julie.

“Jocey, I will always love you and today is the last day I will get to physically see you and just touch you one more time until we meet again, and we will,” Julie said.

Dignitaries attending included U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Houston Mayor John Whitmire, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Houston’s Acting Police Chief Larry Satterwhite and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.

Mayor John Whitmire talked about how sad and angry Houstonians are about Jocelyn’s murder.

“We’ve done everything we can and we’ll continue to support the family,” Whitmire said. “We’re sad, we’re outraged, we’re angry that this could happen in our community. Any community.”

“This was a dynamic young person, living the life of a 12-year-old,” Whitmire said.

Jocelyn’s casket was brought from the funeral home to the gravesite at Earthman Resthaven Funeral Home and Cemetery in a horse-drawn carriage.

Following the burial, a public celebration of life was held at Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale’s Gallery Furniture on North Freeway. Mattress Mack announced he would be covering the 12-year-old’s funeral costs.

Two men are being accused of luring the 12-year-old to a bridge and killing her on June 17. Both men, 22-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Pena have been arrested and charged with capital murder.

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The funeral comes just two days after Martinez-Rangel, Jocelyn’s second-accused killer, stood before a judge in his first court appearance. Initially, he denied any wrongdoing, but prosecutors said Franklin Peña, who made his court appearance Monday and is accused of killing the 12-year-old with Martinez-Rangel, claimed he only kissed Jocelyn.

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Prosecutors also said Martinez-Rangel admitted to tying her legs and had bite marks/scratches on his arm. He also instructed Peña to throw Jocelyn’s body in the creek to get rid of DNA. As Martinez-Rangel was escorted out of court, one of Jocelyn’s family members shouted “Murderer” and “I hope they kill your children” in Spanish.

Jocelyn’s case has also gained national attention before the first presidential debate, also to be held Thursday.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed recently that Martinez-Rangel and Pena, both undocumented immigrants from Venezuela, had been detained and subsequently released by the U.S. Border Patrol—one of whom just weeks before the murder. According to ICE, both men entered the U.S. illegally and were apprehended near El Paso, Texas. They were released on orders of recognizance with notices to appear in court, but neither man was detained for long.

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In response to the incident, a White House spokesperson expressed condolences to Jocelyn’s family: “Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones of Jocelyn Nungaray. We cannot comment on active law enforcement cases. But fundamentally, anyone found guilty of this type of heinous and shocking crime should be held accountable, to the fullest extent of the law.”

Former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, attributed Jocelyn’s death to the Biden administration’s border policies. Trump shared a post on Truth Social from Oli London about Jocelyn’s murder, blaming the administration’s immigration stance for her tragic death.

“We have a new Biden Migrant Killing - It’s only going to get worse, and it’s all Crooked Joe Biden’s fault. He’s a disgrace to the Office of President, he’s a disgrace to America. I look forward to seeing him at the Fake Debate on Thursday. Let him explain why he has allowed MILLIONS of people to come into our Country illegally!” Trump posted.

Lauren Hitt, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign, responded by criticizing Trump’s approach: “Donald Trump is making Americans less safe by blocking the border deal.”

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