Alexis Nungaray, whose daughter Jocelyn was allegedly murdered by two illegal immigrants, testified in harrowing detail before the House Judiciary Committee, revealing the chilling sequence of events leading up to and following her daughter's tragic death.
In a chilling and heart-wrenching testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, Alexis Nungaray recounted the horrifying timeline of her 12-year-old daughter Jocelyn's murder, allegedly perpetrated by two illegal immigrants.
Nungaray's last words to her daughter were "goodnight" and "I love you," she told the committee. "She was there when I closed my eyes that night," she said. "That Monday morning, when I opened my eyes, she was gone."
The Horrific Timeline of Jocelyn Nungaray's Murder: Her Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
Jocelyn had gone out to buy a soda at a nearby convenience store after her mother went to bed. Nungaray testified that she frantically searched the area where Jocelyn's phone was being pinged, only to be met with crime scene tape and officers by a bridge.
"That Monday morning, June 17th, was terrifying," Nungaray said. "Waking up to know your child was missing and frantically searching the area where her phone was being pinged just two minutes away from her home, driving up to that exact location to see crime scene tape and officers by a bridge."
The Horrific Timeline of Jocelyn Nungaray's Murder: Her Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
At the scene, officers had no answers, but 45 minutes later, Nungaray received a phone call asking her to come downtown. "I'm still hanging on to hope that my 12-year-old daughter is still somewhere out there," she said. "They bring me to the floor labeled Homicide Division."
Detectives asked Nungaray about the prior evening, then revealed they had recovered a body that they believed belonged to her daughter. Police found Jocelyn naked from the waist down, with her wrists and ankles tied up. Investigators said she'd been strangled.
The Horrific Timeline of Jocelyn Nungaray's Murder: Her Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
"My heart shattered," Nungaray said. "I couldn't believe what was just told to me."
She said she couldn't imagine the horror her daughter went through in her final moments. "They saw a young girl, my daughter Jocelyn, and placed a target on her without her even knowing," she said. "They were seen on video at 12:57 a.m. on June 17th, walking across the street down by the bayou under the bridge, at 3:04, for only the two illegal immigrants emerged. They were down there for two whole hours. I can't even fathom what was going through Jocelyn's mind, the amount of fear she was feeling in the last moments of her life."
The Horrific Timeline of Jocelyn Nungaray's Murder: Her Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
Two Venezuelan men, Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel, 21, and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos, 26, have been charged with Jocelyn's murder. Both had been captured and released into the American interior earlier this year – one just weeks before Jocelyn's murder.
Nungaray said one of the suspects allegedly confessed to having done "something bad." Both allegedly asked their boss for money in a failed bid to skip town.
The Horrific Timeline of Jocelyn Nungaray's Murder: Her Mother's Heartbreaking Testimony
"Individuals like that do not have a heart," Nungaray said. "They are nothing but monsters who are predators, and those are the kind of individuals that we so openly let in this country."
Nungaray joined other victims' families at the hearing to advocate for stricter border policies and tougher measures to combat illegal immigration.
"Because of the Biden-Harris administration open border policies, catch and release, they were enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program," Nungaray told lawmakers. "This meant that they were released into the United States. It was not even a full three weeks later that they would take my daughter Jocelyn Nungaray’s life."
