12-year-old girl found strangled in creek after she sneaks out of home, Texas cops say
New details released about the 12-year-old girl found dead in a Texas creek indicate foul play led to her death, officials said.
The girl, identified by family as Jocelyn Nungaray, left her home around 10 p.m. June 17 without her family’s knowledge, Houston police said. Hours later, her body was found in shallow water, according to police and news outlets.
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences said the girl died of strangulation, according to police.
“Jocelyn was a fighter,” her mother, Alexis Nungaray, said in a video posted to Facebook by KHOU. “ ... She needs justice. She didn’t deserve this.”
Police identified two persons of interest caught on surveillance footage, according to a news release. Police said they were detained on June 20.
Nungaray said her daughter was on the phone with her 13-year-old boyfriend “around midnight when he heard her talking with two adults,” KTRK reported.
She was last seen with at least one person of interest around 1 a.m. June 17, about 5 hours before she was found dead in the creek, according to KPRC.
When Nungaray realized her daughter was gone, she tracked her phone to the location where she was found, she told KHOU.
“I ran and that’s what I saw was tape and officers,” Nungaray said. “I ran up to him, told him my daughter was missing.”
Police said the two persons of interest are being questioned.
“It’s just unmanageable what the family is going through,” Houston Mayor John Whitmire said during a June 17 news conference.
This story was originally published June 20, 2024 at 11:26 AM with the headline "12-year-old girl found strangled in creek after she sneaks out of home, Texas cops say."
