smiling sisters – Texas police arrested sisters Amaya Cookie Diaz and Kitty Mia Diaz in Del Rio hours before charging them with the murder of Caroline Peña, a mother of five who died after being stabbed in broad daylight on June 25.
Hours before formal murder charges were filed in Texas, two sisters captured on video were led to a police vehicle—smiling—after allegedly stabbing a mother in broad daylight.
Amaya Cookie Diaz. 19. and Kitty Mia Diaz. 21. were taken into custody by officers in Del Rio. Texas. a small city near the Mexican border. after the attack on Caroline Peña. a 32-year-old mother of five. Police say the sisters. along with a third woman. Kyandra Renee Faz. 21. assaulted Caroline at a busy intersection around 2 p.m. on June 25.
Caroline was airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio. She died from her injuries that night. Police have not released a motive.
In a police release from the City of Del Rio Police Department. investigators said they gathered surveillance video. processed evidence and conducted numerous witness interviews. The department said that at approximately 4 p.m. officers located and arrested Kitty Mia Diaz and Amaya Cookie Diaz without incident. It was a short time later that officers located and arrested Kyandra Renee Faz in connection with the investigation.
After learning Caroline died, authorities charged all three women with murder. A local news station reported that Caroline was stabbed twice in the back and once in the side.
The arrest videos quickly spread, showing the sisters appearing unfazed in moments that came right before the charges were announced. Murder suspect Kitty Mia Diaz appeared to be smiling as she was led in handcuffs toward a police vehicle. Another clip showed Amaya Cookie Diaz smiling as officers placed her in a police vehicle.
Independent journalist Michael Elizondo, who filmed the arrests, described the atmosphere he saw in the footage. “That girl was in a happy mood,” he said. He also described Amaya “goofing off like nothing happened. ” adding that he watched a window go down and the woman “sticking out her face” and “sticking out her tongue.”.
Caroline’s death has left her loved ones searching for answers. Zelina Ochoa, a friend of Caroline’s, told KENS 5 that the killing was not hidden away. “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,” she said.
While police say more information is still being gathered. the department stated that additional charges may be filed as investigators continue to gather evidence and determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident. The release also said all three suspects were transported to the GEO Correctional Facility, where they remain pending magistration.
For Caroline’s family, the impact is immediate and permanent. A GoFundMe campaign created to support her family says her nephew rushed Caroline to the hospital and she was airlifted to San Antonio, but she did not survive. The fundraiser states Caroline is survived by five children.
“Now, five children are waking up without their mother. Two of them have autism and cannot fully process what her absence means yet,” the GoFundMe reads. It adds, “All five will carry this loss for the rest of their lives. The funds raised will help support Caroline’s children and family as they navigate this unimaginable grief and begin to rebuild.”.
Caroline Peña Del Rio Texas police Amaya Cookie Diaz Kitty Mia Diaz Kyandra Renee Faz Texas murder arrest GoFundMe for Caroline Peña mother of five stabbed