HOUSTON (AP) 鈥 A 12-year-old Texas girl who was found dead in a creek not far from her home was remembered on Thursday for her love of reading and animals.
Among those attending funeral services for Jocelyn Nungaray were Democratic and Cecilia Abbott, wife of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
鈥淲e鈥檙e sad but we鈥檙e outraged and angry that this would happen in our community,鈥 Whitmire, who was elected in December told mourners. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to monitor this case all the way through the criminal justice system.鈥
Jocelyn鈥檚 body was found in a creek on June 17. A medical examiner concluded that she had been strangled. Police say she had sneaked out of her house the night before. Prosecutors have charged two who had entered the U.S. illegally , and Republicans have used the death to highlight what they say are President Joe Biden鈥檚 failed .
Jocelyn鈥檚 grandfather, Kelvin Alvarenga, said earlier this week that his granddaughter鈥檚 death could have been prevented if the country鈥檚 immigration system had been 鈥渞edone.鈥
Also attending the service for Jocelyn was Republican Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Both Greg Abbott and Patrick are harsh critics of Biden鈥檚 policies.
have found immigrants are less drawn to violent crime than native-born citizens. One published by the based on Texas Department of Public Safety data from 2012 to 2018, reported native-born U.S. residents were more than twice as likely to be arrested for violent crimes than people in the country illegally.
During a service held at a funeral home on Thursday, Jocelyn was remembered as a girl with a beautiful smile who loved animals, the television show 鈥淪tranger Things,鈥 Harry Potter and baking. She also had eclectic musical tastes: One of her favorite songs, the early 1960s hit 鈥淐oney Island Baby鈥 by The Excellents, was played as mourners watched a slideshow.
鈥淚 will always remember her big beautiful smile and beautiful bright eyes, and she had such beautiful curly locks,鈥 said Jocelyn's great-aunt Julie Gonzales. She said Jocelyn was soft-spoken and reserved, and 鈥渂eelined鈥 for the book section wherever they went.
Venezuelan nationals Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 22, and Franklin Jose Pe帽a Ramos, 26, are held on a in the Harris County Jail in Houston. The two men were arrested earlier this year near El Paso by the U.S. Border Patrol after entering the country without documentation. Both were released and given notices to appear in court at a later date. The Associated Press left phone messages Thursday evening with attorneys listed for the two men.
Prosecutors say Martinez-Rangel and Pe帽a Ramos lured the girl under a bridge and remained with her there for more than two hours. They say the defendants took off her pants, tied her up and killed her before throwing her body into the creek.
