Sisters Named 'Cookie' and 'Kitty' Accused in the Passing of a Mom of Five – Victim's Last Facebook Post Is Chilling – Details

What began as an ordinary Thursday in a busy Texas border town soon spiraled into a scene so shocking that even those closest to the victim are still struggling to make sense of it…

Caroline "Caro" Peña was still alive when her loved ones reached her, but the horror that unfolded that afternoon would soon leave five children without their mother. Now, three young women are behind bars, a Texas community is grieving, and one post Caro shared days earlier has taken on a deeply chilling meaning.

A Seemingly Normal Afternoon Turned Into a Public Nightmare

The 32-year-old mother of five from Del Rio, Texas, died after she was stabbed multiple times in broad daylight on Thursday afternoon, June 25, 2026, according to The New York Post. Police said she arrived at Val Verde Regional Medical Center just after 2 p.m. local time, but because of the severity of her injuries, she was transferred to a medical facility in San Antonio for emergency surgery.

Sadly, Caro did not survive. She was pronounced dead around 9 p.m. that same Thursday, leaving behind five children and a devastated community that is still trying to understand how such a violent confrontation unfolded in the middle of the day.

Authorities arrested three women in connection with the case: sisters Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya "Cookie" Diaz, 19, along with their 21-year-old friend, Kyandra Renee Faz. The three women were charged with murder and transported to a correctional facility, where they remained pending magistration.

Police said Kitty and Cookie were arrested around 4 p.m. Thursday without incident, while Kyandra was detained a short time later. All three were taken to the Del Rio Police Department for booking and processing.

The alleged attack stunned locals because of where it reportedly happened. Surveillance footage from the crime scene showed a bloodied Caro facing her attackers outside a Sonic drive-through before the violence, according to reports.

"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," Caro's friend Zelina Ochoa told KENS5. Her words captured what made the case feel even more disturbing: this was not hidden away from the world, but allegedly happened in a place where anyone could have been watching.

Friends Remember a Strong Mom Who Gave Even When She Had Little

Zelina said she met Caro when they were both teen mothers attending the Cradles in the Classroom program for young parents. She remembered Caro as the kind of woman who helped without hesitation, even when she had little of her own.

Caro would watch Zelina's son while Zelina caught up on schoolwork. Later, Caro gave her baby clothes, a television, a VHS player, and videotapes for her first apartment.

"If you needed something and she had it, even if it was her last, she'd give it to you," Zelina shared. That description has made the allegations surrounding Caro's death even harder for loved ones to process.

Another close friend, Christina Salinas, said she had spent time with Caro the night before the fatal confrontation. The pair had been cooking with Caro's daughter, a normal evening that now feels painfully precious in hindsight.

The next day, Christina said she missed a call from Caro at 1:35 p.m., just minutes before the deadly confrontation. "I feel like if I would have answered that call, honestly I would have been there with her. It wouldn't have gotten like that [sic]," Christina said.

Christina later saw a photo on a community page showing a woman in a bloody shirt. She said she recognized her best friend almost immediately. "Her hair was in the same bun. When I saw that, that's all I needed to see was [sic] the back of her shirt. I knew it was her right off the bat," Christina stated, adding, "That girl, she was a fighter. She was still standing her ground."

Christina rushed to the hospital after learning what had happened and was able to say goodbye to Caro while Caro was still talking. She kissed her before she was flown to San Antonio.

Police Say the Accused Women Were Not Strangers

At first, police had not publicly given a motive, and Caro's heartbroken friends and relatives demanded answers. But later, Del Rio Police Chief Frank Ramirez told TMZ that the killing was not believed to be random, as per a later report.

Frank said the three accused women knew Caro. However, he declined to specify the nature of the relationship between Caro and the women, and police have not publicly explained why the four women were fighting.

According to a criminal complaint obtained by The Post, Kyandra told police that Caro had "arrived at her residence looking to start a fight." Surveillance footage later obtained by investigators reportedly showed Caro's black Dodge pickup truck driving up to Kyandra's house, where Cookie and Kitty arrived shortly afterward.

The complaint reportedly said Cookie got out of the passenger seat of a black Chrysler 300 and confronted Caro while holding an object in her right hand that police believed was a knife. Cookie was then seen striking Caro in the back, where blood began soaking her shirt, according to the document.

That was when Kitty and Kyandra allegedly joined in, beating Caro before running away, according to the court record. Police said Caro was then driven to a local hospital by her nephew before she was later flown to San Antonio, where she died from her stab wounds.

Frank stressed that Caro's decision to go to Kyandra's house did not mean she bore any responsibility for the violence that followed. That detail matters, especially as police continue to piece together what led to the confrontation.

The Chilling Arrest Video That Left Viewers Stunned

After the attack, footage taken outside the sisters' home showed Kitty barefoot and wearing tight black shorts and a black halter top as officers escorted her to a patrol car. She appeared to grin briefly while being led away.

Cookie also appeared to smile for the camera. At one point, she even sarcastically yelled, "Stop recording!" — a moment that has since added to public outrage surrounding the case.

Independent Journalist Michael Elizondo, who filmed the arrests, told The Post, "I saw the first girl going into the car, and I thought, 'Whatever'… But the second one caught my eye. That girl was in a happy mood…She was all smiling, goofing off like nothing happened [sic]."

"My impression is it didn't look good, and you would think there would be a little more remorse in a situation like that – it looked callous," Frank told TMZ, referring to the video of the arrests. The clip has become one of the most widely discussed details because of how jarring it looked against the seriousness of the allegations.

The three accused women were each given $5 million bonds by a judge during their first court appearance Friday. They all requested court-appointed attorneys.

More troubling details emerged in an NBC News report, which cited an affidavit in the case. According to the affidavit, the sisters were taken into custody at a home where Kitty's child was also present.

Police said the two women had changed clothes and showered by the time officers arrived. During a search of the home, investigators reportedly found clothing that Kitty had been seen wearing in the video placed in a washing machine.

Five Children Are Left Behind as Loved Ones Rally for Support

As the legal process continues, the focus for Caro's loved ones has remained on the children she left behind. One such way of doing so comes in the form of a GoFundMe fundraiser.

The fundraiser depicted Caro's loving and vibrant spirit and said she was fiercely protective of her loved ones, especially her nephews and her own children. Two of her children reportedly have autism, and the fundraiser described her joy in motherhood as unmatched.

"Now, five children are waking up without their mother," the fundraiser message read. It added that two of them "cannot fully process what her absence means yet," while all five "will carry this loss for the rest of their lives."

The fundraiser said donations will help support Caro's children and family as they face unimaginable grief and begin to rebuild. Of the $9,000 goal, more than $8,000 has been raised.

The Final Facebook Post That Now Feels Haunting

And then there is the detail that has made many people pause: Days before the tragedy, on June 11, Caro shared a final Facebook video that shows someone behind the wheel of a car.

The clip has Spanish text overlaid on it that reads, "Que Dios me proteja de lo que mis ojos no ven y mis oídos no escuchan." Loosely translated, the message says, "May God protect me from what my eyes do not see and my ears do not hear."

At the time, it may have seemed like a simple reflective post. Now, after Caro's death, it feels haunting and eerie. A mother of five posted a prayer for protection from unseen danger, and days later, police say she was fatally attacked in broad daylight.

The biggest questions remain painfully unanswered: What exactly led to the confrontation? Why did it turn so violent? And how did a woman remembered for giving so much to others become the center of a tragedy that has left an entire community shaken?

At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to all of Caro's children, her entire family, her friends, loved ones, and community as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing amid their time of grief. RIP, dear Caro.