Two sisters and a friend were charged with murder after a 32-year-old Texas mother of five was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight and later died, authorities said.
Kitty Mia Diaz, 21; Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19; and Kyandra Renee Faz, 21, were arrested Thursday on charges of murder in connection with the fatal attack, the Del Rio Police Department wrote in a press release posted to Facebook.
The victim was identified as Caroline “Caro” Peña, 32, according to local media reports.
“She was one of those people that she was born to be a mom,” Peña’s childhood friend, Zelina Ochoa, told KENS 5, fighting back and wiping off tears. “She really loved being a mom.”
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Del Rio is a city of 35,000 in southwest Texas near the Mexican border.
Police said officers responded around 2:10 p.m. Thursday to Val Verde Regional Medical Center after receiving a report that a woman had arrived with multiple stab wounds from an assault at a busy intersection.
“This wasn’t something that happened in a back alley; this happened at the corner near Sonic on one of our busiest roads in broad daylight,” Ochoa told KENS 5.
Because of the severity of her injuries, the woman was taken to a San Antonio medical facility for emergency treatment, police said. Investigators were notified around 9 p.m. that she had died after being stabbed twice in the back and a third time in her stomach.
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Detectives reviewed surveillance video, processed evidence and interviewed witnesses before identifying Kitty Diaz, Cookie Diaz and Faz as suspects, police said. Kitty Diaz and Cookie Diaz were arrested without incident around 4 p.m. local time Thursday, and Faz was arrested a short time later.
Another friend, Christina Salinas, told the outlet she missed a call from Peña shortly before the stabbing and later recognized her in a photo suffering from the wounds circulating on a community page.
“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.”
Police have not publicly released a motive.
Salinas said she rushed to the hospital and was able to say goodbye before Peña was flown to San Antonio.
“That girl, she was a fighter: She was still standing her ground,” Salinas said.
All three suspects were booked at the Del Rio Police Department before being transported to the GEO Correctional Facility, where police said they remained pending court hearings.
The investigation remains active, and police said additional charges could be filed as detectives continue gathering evidence.
Peña is survived by her five children – the oldest a 17-year-old son – and a twin sister, according to reports.
“If you needed something and she had it, even if it was her last, she’d give it to you,” Ochoa told KENS 5.
