FINAL GOODBYE REVEALED: Best Friend Shares Caroline Peña’s Last Farewell as Sisters Face Possible Life-Altering Punishment
Caroline Peña’s pal shares anguish ahead of final goodbye to mom allegedly stabbed to death by sisters Kitty and Cookie
The heartbreaking aftermath of a brutal, broad-daylight slaying in a small Texas border town continues to ripple through the community as loved ones prepare for a final, agonizing farewell. Caroline “Caro” Peña, a 32-year-old mother of five, was tragically hacked and stabbed to death on a busy city street in Del Rio, Texas, leaving behind an devastated inner circle and a grief-stricken family vowing to fight relentlessly until justice is fully served.
In the wake of the shocking murder, Christina Salinas, a devoted friend of the victim, turned to social media to express her profound anguish and heartbreak as she prepares to face reality at Peña’s upcoming memorial service. “Taking a deep breath and preparing my heart to see you one last time. Missing you is a heavy kind of love!” Salinas shared in an emotional public tribute. Recognizing the steep emotional toll of the looming farewell, she added, “I know today at work it’s going to kill me all day thinking in just hours I’ll face reality. I love you. This week has been one of the hardest ones in my life.”
The fatal confrontation unfolded on a Thursday afternoon in the 800 block of East 10th Street, a heavily trafficked area near a local Sonic drive-in. According to an official criminal complaint and a probable cause affidavit obtained from the Del Rio Police Department, the entire violent episode was captured on residential surveillance video. The footage reportedly showed Peña arriving at a home in a pickup truck, where she was quickly confronted by three young women: sisters Amaya “Cookie” Diaz, 19, and Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, alongside their close companion, 21-year-old Kyandra Renee Faz.
The encounter escalated into horrific violence almost instantly. Investigators noted that Amaya Diaz was brandishing a knife when she marched up to the mother of five, allegedly plunging the blade into Peña’s back and stomach. A close friend of the victim, identified only as Tina, later confirmed the catastrophic nature of the wounds, stating that one of the stabs punctured Peña’s lung, dealing the fatal blow. According to the complaint, while Peña stood bleeding in a heavily stained shirt, Kitty Diaz and Faz aggressively joined in on the assault before the trio fled the scene, leaving the mortally wounded mother on the pavement.
Though Faz later claimed to law enforcement that Peña had arrived at her residence “looking to start a fight,” police acted swiftly on surveillance evidence, witness interviews, and local tips to track down the suspects. Within two hours of the broad-daylight assault, Del Rio police located and apprehended the Diaz sisters at their home, where they had allegedly already showered and changed out of their bloodied clothes. Videos capturing the arrest sparked widespread public outrage across social media, as Kitty Mia Diaz was filmed visibly grinning and smiling directly at news cameras while being hauled into the back of a patrol vehicle. Faz was apprehended shortly thereafter, and all three suspects are currently being held at a regional correctional facility on massive $5 million bonds.
Despite the rapid arrests, the structural void left behind in the Peña household remains an immeasurable tragedy. Caroline Peña was a celebrated, fiercely loyal figure in her community, known best for her absolute devotion to her five children, two of whom have special needs and are diagnosed with autism. “All five will carry this loss for the rest of their lives,” grieving relatives noted, emphasizing the profound, permanent trauma inflicted upon her young family. For her childhood friends, the thought of the children growing up without their bubbly, devoted matriarch has turned their grief into unyielding determination.
As Salinas prepares to deliver a special reading at the memorial service in Del Rio, she has publicly promised her late friend that the community will maintain an ironclad, unified front during the upcoming legal battles. Sharing a nostalgic, happier throwback photo of the two women laughing and driving in a car together, Salinas issued a permanent vow to the mother of five: “Your [sic] gone but never will you be forgotten. I promise you that I’m not going to stop till we get justice.”
