Cruel Actions of “Monster” Sisters in Murder of Texas Mother of 5, and Their Ghastly Triumphant Smiles in Front of Police Cameras

DEL RIO, TEXAS – A horrific new photo has emerged capturing the desperate last stand of Caroline “Caro” Peña, a 32-year-old mother of five, as she used her final ounces of strength to fight back against her killers in a dusty Texas border town. The latest details from criminal complaints not only outline the brutal, extreme nature of the ambush but also spark intense public outrage over the cold-blooded, bizarrely nonchalant attitudes of the teenage suspects as they were hauled off in handcuffs.

After just one terrifying night, five poor children woke up with their mother gone forever. Meanwhile, the perpetrators were still able to flash twisted, defiant smiles.

The Fateful Photo and a Bare-Handed Fight for Survival

The haunting image was apparently snapped moments after 19-year-old Amaya Cookie Diaz allegedly plunged a sharp knife into Caroline “Caro” Peña’s back. In the frame, the 32-year-old victim’s pink T-shirt is completely soaked in a deep red color of blood.

Just feet away, three women can be seen standing on the grass beside the visibly wounded Peña. Two of them wore clothing that perfectly matched later police descriptions of the assailants. Based on surveillance footage obtained by investigators:

• Amaya Cookie Diaz (19 years old): Clad in a red tank top and blue jeans.
• Kitty Mia Diaz (21 years old): Cookie’s older sister, easily identifiable by tattoos covering her right arm, wearing a pink tank top paired with blue jeans.
• Kyandra Renee Faz (21 years old): The third woman in the disturbing photo, dressed in a gray T-shirt; while it is not yet fully clear if this is definitely Faz, she has also been arrested and charged in Peña’s murder.

In the chaotic scene, the photo also captures a man who appears to have his arms wrapped around Cookie’s shoulders to restrain her, while Peña is seen facing and speaking to another man—believed to be her nephew, who reportedly rushed her away from the grisly scene to a local hospital.

The chilling photo was initially uploaded to a local community Facebook page. However, it was swiftly scrubbed from the platform after Peña succumbed to the knife wounds and drew her last breath at a hospital in San Antonio at around 9 p.m. Thursday. Still, the image stands as undeniable proof of how fiercely Peña fought. Zelina Ochoa, the victim’s longtime friend, choked back tears:

“She had just collapsed and she stood right back up. She was a fighter. It’s a very powerful picture because it shows, you know, these three girls showed up with their weapons and Caro showed up with nothing but her hands.”

The Ambush Unfolded from “Level Zero” on Surveillance Video

According to documents in the criminal complaint, the incident began when Kyandra Renee Faz told investigators that Peña had “arrived at her residence looking to start a fight.” However, Peña could not have anticipated the arrival of the Diaz sisters. Kitty and Cookie immediately drove up to the home in a black Chrysler 300.

The surveillance clip exposed the full cruelty of the actions that followed. Cookie flew out of the vehicle’s passenger seat and directly confronted Peña. In her right hand was an object believed by cops to be a knife.

Without a single warning word or escalating argument, Cookie struck the mother of five in the back with a fatal stab. Blood immediately soaked through the victim’s pink shirt. The moment Peña was gravely wounded, Kitty and Faz jumped in, allegedly beating the helpless mother before running away from the scene. Everything happened so fast, pushing the violence from level zero straight to one hundred, leaving onlookers utterly stunned.

Police have not yet offered a motive for the alleged attack, which remains under investigation, a department spokesperson told The Post. 

Faz told investigators that Peña had “arrived at her residence looking to start a fight” – but was soon met by the sisters, who drove up to the home in a black Chrysler 300, the complaint states. 

The surveillance clip shows Cookie fly out of the vehicle’s passenger seat and confront Peña — while holding an object believed by cops to be a knife in her right hand, according to the court document. 

The Incomprehensible Triumphant Smiles of “Fiends” with Baby Faces

What drove public outrage and those who loved Peña to an absolute boiling point was the behavior of the Diaz sisters after the crime. Just two hours after the brutal attack, when police descended upon their home to apprehend them, the two sisters showed no signs of fear or remorse. Instead, they unceremoniously flashed twisted, ghastly smiles for the cameras.

Footage taken outside the siblings’ home around 4 p.m. Thursday showed that:

A barefoot Kitty Mia Diaz walked out wearing tight black shorts and a halter top with an illustration of white hands cupping her breasts. She grinned briefly at the ground as two officers escorted her into a patrol car.

Right after, her similarly scantily clad younger sister, Amaya Cookie Diaz, treated the media lens like a stage for a performance. She brazenly flashed her pearly whites, giggled cirtatiously, and sarcastically yelled at the man behind the camera, “Stop recording!” before stepping into the patrol car.

The sheer coldness, disregard for human life, and mocking attitude toward law enforcement from girls just 19 and 21 years old represents an alarming behavioral deviance that makes one shudder with dread.

An Unexplained Motive and a $15 Million Price Tag

This past Tuesday, Del Rio Police Chief Frank Ramirez revealed a critical detail: the victim, Caroline Peña, actually knew her accused killers. However, the exact nature of their relationship remains unclear. A department spokesperson confirmed to the press that the investigation is actively ongoing and authorities have not yet offered an official motive for the alleged attack.

During their first court appearance Friday, all three suspects—Kitty Diaz, Cookie Diaz, and Kyandra Faz—requested court-appointed attorneys. Given the brutal, extreme, and dangerous nature of the defendants, the judge handed down a massive bail ruling: a $5 million bond for each suspect (totaling $15 million combined for the three).

Currently, all three young “fiends” are behind bars under strict custody, each facing charges of First-Degree Murder—the highest charge possible, carrying potential sentences of life in prison or the death penalty.

The Agony of Children Waking Up Without a Mother

While Texas law enforcement agencies are actively hunting for clues to clarify the true motive behind the ruthless stabs, the most painful tragedy blankets Peña’s small home. After just one night, five children—ranging in age from 17 down to just 3 years old—have permanently lost their beloved stay-at-home mother. Heartbreakingly, two of the five children are autistic, meaning their already challenging lives must now move forward without their sole and greatest anchor.

Peña’s resilience in standing back up after being stabbed in that fateful photo shows that until her very last breath, she wanted to live, wanting to overcome adversity to return and hold her children. But a cruel fate denied her that chance. The mocking smiles of the Diaz sisters at the time of their arrest will forever remain a knife twisted in the hearts of the victim’s family, and the public stands united in waiting for the harshest sentence from Texas justice to rightfully punish these cold-blooded killers.