Family, friends and Houston officials gathered at Earthman Resthaven Cemetery to say their final goodbyes to 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was allegedly murdered by two immigrants and whose tragic death captured the nation’s attention.
During the ceremony, family members carried the coffin with Jocelyn’s remains to the place where she would be laid to rest. They remembered Jocelyn as a girl with lots of energy, playful and creative, who loved music and baking, while her favorite song played in the background.
Alexis Nungaray, Jocelyn’s mother, preferred to cry her grief in silence, despite always giving a statement to the media, on this occasion she said goodbye to her daughter without approaching the press.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, as well as Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, and Governor Greg Abbott’s wife. Houston Police Chief Larry Satterwhite, Fire Chief Samuel Peña, and Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez were also present during the minor’s funeral service.
Carriage with white horses and doves
After the ceremony, a procession was held to the cemetery where Jocelyn’s coffin was carried by a carriage drawn by white horses. Doves were also released as family members tearfully offered their final farewells.
Her loved ones joined in an emotional embrace as Jocelyn’s coffin was slowly lowered into the grave.
Many of the attendees wore maroon and forest green, which were Jocelyn’s favorite colors. They also wore T-shirts that read, “Forever our angel.”
Mayor John Whitmire was honored to be invited to participate in the celebration of life for young Jocelyn Nungaray. The mayor expressed the sadness and anger felt by our communities. He also thanked our law enforcement and the community for coming together to support the Nungaray… pic.twitter.com/GqBF5TY3bp
— City of Houston (@HoustonTX) June 28, 2024
Close the border because some are criminals
Some relatives reflected on the illegal entry of migrants through the borders, and although they defended the situation that the immigrants were experiencing, they now admitted that the authorities should close it, because they do not know what kind of people are entering the United States to commit crimes like the one they suffered. the family with the brutal death of Jocelyn.
“I used to feel bad for immigrants, but since this happened it made me change my mind about who to let in and who not to,” Christine Nunez, a cousin of Jocelyn’s grandmother, told The Post.
“I can’t say that they are all bad; there are good people, but they need to close the borders and not let everyone in. Jocelyn had a whole future ahead of her, she was cheerful and fun, she didn’t follow anyone. She was a unique person,” Núñez added to the same media outlet.
“We are angry with what happened”
Mayor Whitmire said they are doing everything they can to support the family, “We are very saddened, shocked and angry about what has happened in our community.”
“This affects us a lot, even more so because she was a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her, she was only 12 years old,” he said.
The mayor also pushed for the criminal justice system to “get it right” and provide the family with the justice they seek for Jocelyn.
NEW: 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray’s great-aunt looks at her casket as she wages revenge on the illegal immigrants who killed her during her funeral.
Gut-wrenching.
Great Aunt Julie wept as she made the comments next to Jocelyn’s casket.
“I will always love you and today is… pic.twitter.com/kUxDAcOh31
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) June 27, 2024
Found under a bridge
The body of Jocelyn Nungaray was found in a stream under a bridge in the early hours of June 17. As soon as the investigation began, authorities arrested Johan José Rangel Martínez, 21, and Franklin José Peña Ramos, 26, Venezuelan migrants who had entered the country illegally.
“The attorney general’s office has accepted the charges of capital murder, which is the highest possible,” they confirmed during a conference, which was also attended by Mayor John Whitmire and Police Chief Larry Satterwhite.
The two men have a bail of $10 million dollars because they are a high risk of flight. The medical examiner confirmed that Jocelyn had died from strangulation. Authorities said she was found tied up and without clothes.
During the hearing of one of the suspects, they said Jocelyn defended herself by biting and scratching her attacker. The mother called the two men “monsters.”
Keep reading:
- Venezuelan exiles ask for capital punishment for migrants who killed a girl in Texas
- Venezuelan accused of killing a 12-year-old girl in Texas tried to flee the US, according to the Prosecutor’s Office
- Jocelyn Nungaray’s mother called the Hispanic migrants who murdered her daughter “monsters”