A Texas community is mourning the loss of a mother of five who was fatally stabbed in broad daylight, as one of her closest friends says she cannot stop thinking about a phone call she never answered just hours before the deadly attack.

Caroline Peña, 32, died after she was stabbed during a violent confrontation on East 10th Street in Del Rio, Texas, on Thursday, June 25. Authorities say the attack happened in the middle of the afternoon, shocking witnesses and leaving loved ones searching for answers.

Now, as three young women face murder charges in connection with Peña’s death, those closest to her are sharing emotional memories of the woman they say would do anything for the people she loved.

According to the Del Rio Police Department, investigators arrested sisters Kitty Mia Diaz, 21, and Amaya “Cookie” Diaz, 19, along with 21-year-old Kyandra Renee Faz after reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses.

All three women have been charged with murder.

Authorities have not publicly announced whether any of the defendants have entered pleas, and court records have not indicated whether they have retained attorneys to represent them.

Police also continue to investigate what sparked the deadly confrontation.

Although investigators have confirmed that Peña knew the three women before the attack, they have not disclosed the nature of their relationship or identified a motive.

As detectives continue piecing together the events leading up to the stabbing, Peña’s closest friends say they are struggling to process the sudden loss.

Among them is Christina Salinas, who told local station KENS 5 that she and Peña shared a daily routine that had become part of both of their lives.

Every morning, she said, the two women typically called each other simply to check in.

On the morning of June 25, however, things were different.

Salinas said Peña called her, but she missed it.

Now, she says that unanswered phone call has become one of the hardest memories to live with.

“I feel like if I would have answered that call, honestly I would have been there with her,” Salinas told the station.

“It wouldn’t have gotten like that.”

Although there is no indication that answering the phone would have changed what ultimately happened, Salinas said she cannot help imagining different possibilities.

Like many grieving loved ones after a sudden tragedy, she continues to replay the final hours before Peña’s death.

Instead of speaking with her friend that morning, Salinas was later confronted with an unimaginable reality.

She saw Peña after the stabbing, before the injured mother was airlifted to a hospital.

The emotional memory continues to haunt her.

“It’s like a part of me got ripped out and that’s something I’m not going to get back,” she said.

“No matter how much justice is being served, I still don’t have my friend here alive with me.”

Another longtime friend, Zelina Ochoa, described similar feelings of disbelief as she reflected on both the violence itself and the place where it happened.

“This wasn’t something that happened in a back alley,” Ochoa told KENS 5.

“This happened at the corner near Sonic on one of our busiest roads in broad daylight.”

For residents of Del Rio, the public nature of the attack has made the tragedy even more difficult to comprehend.

The confrontation unfolded in the middle of the day, where surveillance cameras and witnesses captured portions of what investigators say became a deadly assault.

According to court documents previously released by investigators, surveillance footage allegedly shows Amaya Diaz confronting Peña while holding what detectives believe was a knife.

Authorities allege Peña was stabbed in the back before Kitty Diaz and Faz joined the confrontation.

Despite her injuries, Peña remained alive long enough to be transported for emergency medical treatment.

She was initially taken to a local hospital before being transferred to a trauma center in San Antonio.

Doctors attempted to save her life, but she later died from her injuries.

Investigators have continued reviewing surveillance recordings and witness statements while working to determine exactly what led to the confrontation.

Police Chief Frank Ramirez has confirmed the attack was not believed to be random.

He has also stressed that Peña’s decision to go to the residence where the confrontation occurred should not be interpreted as suggesting she was responsible for what followed.

The investigation remains ongoing.

While authorities continue gathering evidence, those who knew Peña say they want the public to remember who she was beyond the headlines.

Ochoa recalled meeting Peña years earlier when both women became mothers as teenagers.

Their shared experiences created a lifelong friendship that continued through adulthood.

She described Peña as someone whose generosity never depended on how much she had.

“If you needed something and she had it, even if it was her last, she’d give it to you,” Ochoa said.

Friends say that willingness to help others defined Peña’s personality.

Whether someone needed emotional support, practical assistance or simply someone to listen, they say she consistently put others before herself.

That generosity, they say, extended most of all to her children.

Peña leaves behind five children, whose futures have been forever changed by her death.

As her family begins planning for life without her, community members have rallied around them.

A GoFundMe campaign established to assist Peña’s loved ones with funeral expenses and ongoing support has drawn donations from friends, neighbors and strangers moved by the tragedy.

Within days, the fundraiser had surpassed $5,000, reflecting the community’s desire to help the family through an unimaginably painful time.

Meanwhile, investigators continue building their criminal case against the three defendants.

According to previously released court documents, all three women were arrested shortly after the attack.

The Diaz sisters also attracted public attention after videos recorded during their arrests circulated online, appearing to show them smiling and laughing while being escorted into police vehicles.

Police later described that apparent lack of emotion as “callous.”

During their initial court appearance, Kitty Diaz, Amaya Diaz and Kyandra Faz each requested court-appointed attorneys.

A judge set bond at $5 million for each defendant because of the seriousness of the allegations.

They remain in custody as prosecutors continue preparing the case.

Authorities have not indicated when additional details regarding a possible motive might be released.

For now, detectives say the investigation remains active as they continue interviewing witnesses, analyzing surveillance footage and examining evidence collected from multiple locations.

For Peña’s friends, however, the criminal proceedings cannot erase the overwhelming sense of loss.

Salinas continues thinking about the phone call she missed that morning—a routine conversation that never happened.

She knows no one can say whether answering would have changed anything.

Still, like so many people grieving an unexpected death, she cannot stop wondering about the “what if.”

Instead, she says she is left holding onto memories of a lifelong friend whose daily phone calls, laughter and unwavering support suddenly disappeared.

As Del Rio waits for more answers about why Caroline Peña was killed, those who loved her say they hope she will be remembered not for the violence that ended her life, but for the kindness, loyalty and generosity that defined the years she spent caring for the people around her.