Southwest
Jocelyn Nungaray was sexually assaulted before alleged murder by illegal immigrants, family says
Jocelyn Nungaray, the 12-year-old girl allegedly killed by illegal immigrants in Texas, was sexually assaulted before being strangled, according to her family and recent forensic tests.
Nungaray’s family confirmed to FOX 26 Houston on Tuesday that she was sexually assaulted before she was killed.
Two Venezuelan nationals – 21-year-old Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and 26-year-old Franklin Jose Peña Ramos – are charged with capital murder in connection with her death. The two men crossed illegally into the U.S. earlier this year.
Both suspects are accused of luring her under a bridge, strangling her and leaving her for dead in a creek.
JOCELYN NUNGARAY MURDER: TEXAS COUNTY DUBBED ‘SANCTUARY FOR CRIMINALS’ AS DEM DA TRIES TO SHIFT BLAME
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was found strangled to death in a Houston creek. (Fox Houston courtesy of the Nungaray family)
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office received the lab results in connection with the investigation into Nungaray’s death.
While the test results show she appeared to have been sexually assaulted, as semen was found on her, the DNA match has not come back yet, a source close to the investigation told Fox News.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement to Fox News it will have “no comment on the evidence in this case until the appropriate time.” The Houston Forensic Science Center declined to provide details.
The family now awaits the court’s acknowledgment of the new evidence, and seeks a revoked bond as they look for justice in Nungaray’s death.
Her grandfather, Kelvin Alvarenga, told FOX 26 that it is going to be nearly impossible for the family to “get rid of this feeling of loss.”
If the suspects are found guilty of sexual assault, they would be eligible for the death penalty, which Nungaray’s family opposes because they would rather the suspects sit with what they did for the rest of their lives.
“I want them to remember Jocy the rest of their life,” Melfri Vargas, Alvarenga’s wife, told FOX 26. “I want, every time they go to sleep, they remember what they did and show the others you don’t mess with our child, you don’t mess with the United States, you don’t mess with Texas.”
Franklin Jose Peña Ramos, left, and Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, right, have been charged in connection with the murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston, Texas. (Harris County Jail)
With the suspects in this case being two illegal immigrants, the little girl’s death has sparked political discourse over U.S. immigration policy.
“I want them not to just use my granddaughter as a political base, but to know her name is Jocelyn Nungaray,” Alvarenga told FOX 26. “We just want to make a difference for Jocy. We don’t want Jocy’s memory or name to be easily forgotten.”
Alvarenga would like the individuals responsible for Nungaray’s death to face life without parole, stressing the importance of them being reminded every day of what they did to the girl.
“I rather for them to remember this in general population,” he said. “Life without parole, that way they can remember every night when they go to bed, the horrific deal that they did to our family.”
Her family said they are grateful for the support they have received from city and state leaders, and former President Trump.
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT ACCUSED OF KILLING JOCELYN NUNGARAY WORE ICE ANKLE MONITOR
Jocelyn Nungaray, 12, was sexually assaulted before being strangled, according to recent forensic tests. (Getty Images)
“God bless him, because at the telling of the day, I wouldn’t want my daughter’s accident to go as another statistic for the city of Houston or the state of Texas. With former President Trump reaching out, my blessings to him and God bless him,” Alvarenga said.
Nungaray’s mother, Alexis, has been struggling in the aftermath of her daughter’s death, family told FOX 26. Nungaray also had a 5-year-old brother who the family said asks for his sister every day and wishes to be with her.
“She’s a single mom and one of the hardest things for her and us to explain to a 5-year-old that his Cici will not be at home anymore,” Vargas said. “He asks when is he going to see Cici. We try to explain the best way we can to a little one. It’s not an easy thing to do. He always asks for her, he wants to go see her.”
The two suspects are due back in court in September.
Fox News’ Nate Foy contributed to this report.
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“Moana” has been called a box office flop, an unnecessary money grab by Walt Disney Studios, but what it hasn’t been called yet is a triumphant win for cultural representation on the big screen.
The live-action adaptation of the beloved 2016 animated movie “Moana” effectively bombed at the box office, making much less money than industry insiders anticipated.
While it failed to live up to the expectations of the box office and critics alike, the film did exceed the expectations of moviegoers of Pacific Island descent, and they’ve taken to social media to express just how much the movie means to them.
Moana is more than the main character’s name. It means ocean across several Pacific Islander languages.
One user explained how this kind of representation is more than entertainment.
“When I watched ‘Moana,’ I couldn’t hold back my tears. I heard the language of my parents, the language of my people. I saw our traditional Samoan clothing, our weaving, our siva, our culture, our values. I saw my people. I saw me.”
Another user said seeing Pacific Islanders on the silver screen influenced her own artistry.
“Representation matters. As a sometimes-Female-Polynesian-filmmaker (depending on the day and my imposter syndrome), seeing our stories on a screen this big makes me dream a little bigger too.”
Even the film’s star, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, spoke to the film’s representation in a recent Instagram post.
“I feel that our movie ‘Moana’ will always serve a bigger purpose than just a film – it’s representation. Our Polynesian culture showcased to the world, and embraced by the world – with love, humility, warrior spirit and MANA.”
That representation was taken as a serious responsibility by the actors and creative team behind the scenes of Disney’s latest live-action remake.
“We got chosen for a reason,” Rena Owen, who plays Gramma Tala in the film, explains.
“Every single one of us, whether that’s an actor, whether that’s a creative, whether that’s a crew person. We’re raised that way, we’re raised in villages and we’re raised… on our earth, with our sky father and our moana, that’s what we all have in common. So, we just had to be ourselves.”
Disney once again leaned on members of its Oceanic Cultural Trust, a group formed over a decade ago to ensure cultural accuracy for the first “Moana” movie.
The trust’s lead consultant, Dr. Grant Muāgututiʻa, spoke about the work that went into bringing Moana to life on screen.
“We have a big responsibility to our folks who are gonna be watching the film. We’re elated that the film crew and the filmmakers were really receptive to all of the input that we had and we’re really happy with the way it turned out.”
Dr. Muāgututiʻa is a linguist by trade, serving as Assistant Professor of Linguistics at California State University San Marcos. He told KTLA he was thrilled that people of Samoan descent can hear their language spoken in a major Disney film.
“The mountaintop scene where you can hear both Jon Tui, who plays Chief Tui, and Catherine Laga’aia, who plays Moana speaking Samoan. And then the Siva Tau scene, where Seiuli Dwayne Johnson also speaks Samoan. I think those are special moments that are new, especially for our people to see. They’re able to experience real islanders that are proud of their culture.”
“Moana” Choreographer and Cultural Trust member Tiana Nonosina Liufau agreed.
“Seeing an all-Pasifika cast, and hearing them, there’s a lot of Mana in that, hearing these words come out of their mouth, something audiences can trace back to their genealogy, that’s priceless. All worth it.”
Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.
Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.
Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.
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Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood following a water main break on July 16, 2026. -
Two men fell into a sinkhole that opened on a sidewalk after a massive water main break in West Hollywood on July 16, 2026. (KTLA) -
Aerial view of flooded Metro buses in West Hollywood following a water main break on July 16, 2026. -
Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood following a water main break on July 16, 2026. -
Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood following a water main break on July 16, 2026. -
A broken water main sent water gushing out of an apartment building and turned streets into rivers in West Hollywood on July 16, 2026. (KTLA) -
A broken water main sent water gushing into a parking garage in West Hollywood on July 16, 2026. (KTLA) -
Floodwaters from a water main break push parked cars into one another in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
Floodwaters from a water main break push parked cars into one another in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
Residents stand at the entrance to an apartment parking garage as floodwaters from a water main break rush past in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
A parking garage is seen flooding following a water main break in West Hollywood on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (KTLA) -
Floodwaters from a water main break push parked cars into one another in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
Floodwaters from a water main break push parked cars into one another in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
Floodwaters from a water main break push parked cars into one another in West Hollywood. July 2026. (KTLA) -
A broken water main sent water gushing into the streets of West Hollywood on July 16, 2026. (KTLA)
“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”
The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.
A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.
The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.
The two men appeared to be uninjured.
As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.
LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.
The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.
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