Two sisters and their friend were arrested and charged with murder following the daylight stabbing of a 32-year-old mother of five in Texas, according to authorities.
The Del Rio Police Department announced in a statement that officers were dispatched to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center at approximately 2:10 p.m. on June 25, after a woman arrived with multiple stab wounds. Investigators determined that the attack took place in the 800 block of East 10th Street.
The victim, identified by friends as Caroline Peña, was flown to a medical facility in San Antonio for emergency treatment due to the severity of her injuries. Investigators were notified at approximately 9 p.m. that evening that Peña had died, police said.
Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya “Cookie” Diaz, 19, were arrested at around 4 p.m. Thursday, following an investigation police said required surveillance footage, physical evidence and witness interviews. A third suspect, Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, was arrested shortly afterward.
The three women face murder charges and are being held at a GEO Correctional Facility, according to the police statement.
open image in galleryThe investigation remains active, and police stated that additional charges may be filed as detectives establish a motive and full circumstances.
“This wasn’t something that happened in a back alley,” Zelina Ochoa, a childhood friend of Peña, told KENS 5. “This happened at the corner near Sonic on one of our busiest roads in broad daylight.”
According to Peña’s friends, images and video of the confrontation circulated briefly on social media before being taken down. One image reportedly showed Peña standing in a bloodstained pink shirt while surrounded by three young women, the local station reported.
Christina Salinas, Peña’s best friend of eight years, told KENS 5 she recognized the victim immediately from a photo posted to a community page.
“Her hair was in the same bun,” Salinas said. “When I saw that, that’s all I needed to see was the back of her shirt. I knew it was her right off the bat. That girl, she was a fighter. She was still standing her ground.”
open image in gallerySalinas said she missed a telephone call from Peña at 1:35 p.m., shortly before the attack.
“I feel like if I would have answered that call, honestly I would have been there with her,” Salinas said. “It wouldn’t have gotten like that.”
Salinas added that Peña was still conscious and speaking at the hospital before being sedated and airlifted to San Antonio. She later shared Ring doorbell footage with the station showing one of Peña’s final visits to her home.
“It’s like a part of me got ripped out and that’s something I’m not going to get back,” Salinas said. “No matter how much justice is being served, I still don’t have my friend here alive with me.”
Footage obtained by KENS 5 showed police escorting the Diaz sisters from a residence in handcuffs, with one of the suspects smiling at the camera before entering a patrol vehicle.
open image in galleryFriends remembered Peña, a twin whose oldest son is 17 and nearing high school graduation, as a dedicated parent. Ochoa told the outlet that she and Peña met as teenagers while attending Cradles in the Classroom, a program designed for young parents.
“Me and Caro, we go way, way back,” Ochoa said. “We got to take our sons to school and we did the school thing together while we had our kids to school with us.”
Ochoa recalled how Peña supported her during those early years by babysitting, providing baby clothes, and offering household items for her first apartment.
“If you needed something and she had it, even if it was her last, she’d give it to you,” Ochoa said. “She was one of those people, she was born to be a mom. She really loved to be a mom.”
The Del Rio Police Department has requested that anyone with information regarding the case contact investigators.