Just days before she was fatally stabbed outside a Texas drive-through, Caroline Peña shared a Facebook post that now leaves those who loved her with an especially painful reminder of the life she never finished.
On the afternoon of June 25, 32-year-old Caroline “Caro” Peña was attacked in broad daylight in Del Rio, Texas, after what police described as a violent confrontation that ended in tragedy.
According to the Del Rio Police Department (DRPD), officers were dispatched to Val Verde Regional Medical Center at about 2:10 p.m. after receiving reports of a woman suffering from multiple stab wounds. Investigators said the assault had taken place on East 10th Street before Peña was rushed to the hospital.
“Due to the severity of her injuries, the victim was transported to a medical facility in San Antonio for emergency treatment,” DRPD shared, explaining that only hours later, the mother of five had died.
According to CBS affiliate KENS 5, Peña suffered two stab wounds to her back and another to her stomach.
“This wasn’t something that happened in a back alley,” longtime friend Zelina Ochoa told the outlet. “This happened at the corner near Sonic on one of our busiest roads in broad daylight.”
Cookie and Kitty
As investigators reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed witnesses, they quickly identified sisters Amaya “Cookie” Diaz, 19, and Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, along with 21-year-old Kyandra Renee Faz.
Police report that after Peña was brutally stabbed by Cookie, Kitty and Faz joined the assault, continuing to beat her as she lay on the ground, bleeding to death.
The Diaz sisters were arrested without incident at about 4 p.m., while Faz was taken into custody a short time later. Following Peña’s death that evening, all three women were charged with first-degree murder.
Video later released by KENS 5 shows the sisters being escorted from a home in handcuffs before they were booked into the GEO Correctional Facility, where they remain as the investigation continues.
‘Goofing off’
Del Rio journalist Michael Elizondo, who captured the sisters’ arrests on video, told the New York Post that one detail left him particularly shaken.
“That girl was in a happy mood… She was all smiling, goofing off like nothing happened,” Elizondo told the outlet.
After Cookie was placed inside a patrol vehicle, he said her behavior continued.
“All of the sudden I see the window go down, and the girl was sticking out her face, sticking out her tongue and goofing off,” he recalled of her peculiar reaction to being arrested.
He also said a nearby resident told him the sisters had been “driving recklessly” through the neighborhood earlier that day.
Final post
As investigators worked to piece together the final hours of Peña’s life, many friends found themselves returning to one of her last Facebook posts.
“May God protect me from what my eyes don’t see and what my ears don’t hear,” Peña shared only days before the fatal attack.
For the people who loved Peña, however, the focus isn’t on her last message, but on the devoted mother they say she was every day.
“She was everybody’s bubbly person. She just had this infectious laugh,” Ochoa said in a teary-eyed interview with KENS 5. “If you needed something, and she had it, even if it was her last, she was going to give it to you.”
Ochoa, who had met Peña when they both were teen moms, added: “She was born to be a mom. So, she really loved to be a mom.”
For childhood friend Lupita Garza, Peña’s compassion stood out above everything else. She remembered the mother as someone who was always ready to help anyone in need.
“Caro was one of a kind. She helped everyone who was in need,” Garza said. “She brought so much light to so many of us, especially her warm hugs and that one-of-a-kind laugh. She always made sure she had a smile on her face everywhere she went.”
As the criminal case moves forward, three women remain behind bars facing first-degree murder charges, while Peña’s family and friends continue mourning a mother whose life was cut tragically short.
Before passing this story along, please share your condolences in the comment section below.
READ MORE
- Karoline Leavitt’s post-baby body at 28 ignites buzz and everyone is saying the same thing
- Boyfriend reveals heartbreaking final words of woman before fatal alligator attack
