Police in Houston have arrested two migrants from Venezuela for the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was lured away from home and then strangled and dumped in a bayou.
One of the suspects crossed the border illegally less than a month before the shocking murder and was released into the US after claiming he was afraid for his life if he was sent back to his home country, sources told The Post.
Johan Jose Rangel Martinez, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, were charged Thursday with capital murder.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources said Pena Ramos crossed into El Paso, Texas, on May 28. He was released soon after his interaction with border agents.
He told authorities that he would go on to live with his cousin in Houston until his court appearance in July, sources said.
Agents put a GPS tracker on Pena Ramos, which was only set to monitor his location for 21 days, sources said.
It’s unclear whether he was wearing the tracker when he allegedly killed Jocelyn.
Investigators identified the suspects from surveillance footage, where they were seen following Nungaray walking into a local convenience store.
Nungaray’s body was found by a Houston resident who had been driving along the creek. She told KTRK-TV she thought the girl was a floating mannequin at first.
“I did a U-turn, and I stopped on the bridge, put my flashers on, looked down, and realized it was someone. I parked right here and called 911 immediately,” she said.
The two migrants were arrested at a local apartment complex, where they had been living as roommates, cops said.
Homeland Security has opened an investigation into the suspects’ immigration histories.
