Three young individuals, including sisters Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, along with Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, have been arrested and charged with murder in the daylight stabbing death of Caroline “Caro” Peña, a 32-year-old mother of five. The Del Rio Police Department announced the arrests on Friday.
Peña was stabbed multiple times on Thursday afternoon and arrived at Val Verde Regional Medical Center shortly after 2 p.m. local time. Due to the critical nature of her injuries, she was transported to a medical facility in San Antonio for emergency surgery, but she later died. Police were alerted at the medical center and traced the assault to an address in Del Rio, a city of approximately 35,000 residents near the Mexican border.
The motive for the attack has not yet been disclosed by authorities. Zelina Ochoa, a childhood friend of Peña, described the incident as occurring on a busy street in broad daylight, not in a secluded area. Ochoa met Peña when both were teen mothers attending a program for young parents.
Another friend, Christina Salinas, stated that she had spent time with Peña the night before the fatal confrontation. Salinas reported missing a call from Peña at approximately 1:35 p.m. on Thursday, shortly before the incident. Salinas later identified Peña in a community photo by her distinctive bloody shirt.
Authorities arrested Kitty Diaz and Cookie Diaz around 4 p.m. on Thursday without incident. Faz was apprehended a short time later. All three suspects were taken to the Del Rio Police Department for processing and were charged with murder. They were subsequently transported to a correctional facility where they remained as of Friday, awaiting a hearing.
Peña was pronounced deceased around 9 p.m. on Thursday.