One of three women charged with murder in the fatal stabbing of a Del Rio mother of five has been released from jail after posting a $2 million bond, more than three months after the June attack.
Amaya Cookie Diaz, 19, was released days before an October 13 KENS 5 report, which confirmed the development with the Val Verde County district clerk’s office. Her bond had been reduced from $5 million.
The victim, Caroline Raquel Peña, was 32 when she died. Her best friend, Christina Salinas, described learning of the release in an interview with the station.
“My heart sunk to my stomach,” Salinas said. “I felt like Del Rio, they failed us.”
An Afternoon Call
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The Del Rio Police Department responded to Val Verde Regional Medical Center around 2:10 p.m. on June 25, 2026, after Peña arrived with multiple stab wounds. Officers determined the assault had happened in the 800 block of East 10th Street, and she was transferred to San Antonio for emergency treatment because of the severity of her injuries.
Police gathered surveillance video, processed evidence, and interviewed witnesses. Around 4 p.m., officers arrested Amaya and her sister, Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, without incident, followed shortly afterward by Kyandra Renee Faz, 21.
Police learned around 9 p.m. that Peña had died. All three women were then charged with murder and taken to the GEO Correctional Facility.
In its account of the criminal complaint, KENS 5 reported that police described the sisters arriving in a black Chrysler before Amaya approached Peña carrying what police believed was a knife and stabbed her in the back. Police accused Kitty and Faz of joining the assault before all three left.
A Changed Status
The October broadcast also identified evidence-tampering charges against all three defendants. Kitty’s bond had been reduced to $2 million as well, but she and Faz remained in custody at the time of the report.
Salinas questioned why people affected by Peña’s death had not been notified about the bond reduction.
Asked about Amaya’s release conditions, the district clerk’s office told the station that no bond conditions were filed at that time. That answer does not establish that her release carried no restrictions.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.