Two sisters smiled for the camera as police led them away in handcuffs after the daytime stabbing death of a Texas 32-year-old mother of five in this small border city.
Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, were arrested along with Kyandra Renee Faz, 21. All three face murder charges in the death of Caroline Peña, who was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight.
Peña died later that evening at a San Antonio hospital after being transported from the Val Verde Regional Medical Center.
Police were called to the medical center around 2:10 p.m. Witnesses and surveillance video quickly pointed to the three women, authorities said. The attack occurred near a busy road close to a Sonic restaurant.
Video of the arrests shows the Diaz sisters smirking as officers placed them in patrol cars. A woman identifying herself as their mother approached the person recording and demanded he stop filming, saying it was her house and her daughters. She repeated the request before walking toward the police.
The Attack
Peña, known as Caro to friends and family, arrived at the local hospital with multiple stab wounds. She was airlifted, transferred for emergency surgery, but was pronounced dead around 9 p.m.
Friends said videos of the confrontation briefly circulated online before being removed. One showed Peña in a blood-soaked shirt surrounded by three women.
The motive remains unclear, and the investigation continues. Police have asked anyone with information to come forward. Additional charges could be filed.
The three suspects were booked into the GEO Correctional Facility pending magistration.
Texas Victim Remembered as Selfless Mother
Peña left behind five children, including a 17-year-old son about to graduate high school. She was also a twin sister.
Zelina Ochoa, a longtime friend, told local media the attack happened in public view on one of the city’s busiest roads. “This wasn’t something that happened in a back alley,” Ochoa said. “This happened at the corner near Sonic.”
Ochoa met Peña through a young parenting program. Both were navigating school while raising young children. She described Peña as someone who would give her last possession to help others.
“If you needed something and she had it, even if it was her last, she’d give it to you,” Ochoa said.
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Lupita Garza echoed that account, calling Peña “one of a kind” who brought light to those around her with warm hugs and a distinctive laugh. “She always made sure she had a smile on her face everywhere she went,” Garza said.
Christina Salinas, another close friend, said she had been with Peña the night before the killing and missed a call from her shortly before the attack. “I feel like if I would have answered that call, honestly I would have been there with her,” Salinas said.
Friends noted the permanent loss for Peña’s children. “Those girls are in jail. Eventually they’ll see [their kids], but Caro is a memory now. Those kids were left without a mom,” Ochoa said.
Community Demands Answers
Del Rio, located about two hours west of San Antonio, is a relatively small city near the U.S.-Mexico border. Residents expressed shock that such violence occurred in broad daylight on a main road.
Police have not released further details about the confrontation or any prior connection between the suspects and the victim.
