CRBC News
Politics
Conflict
Security
Economy
Science
Technology
Environment
Health
Culture
Society
Lifestyle
Society

Mother Demands Reinvestigation After Austin Police Say Texas A&M Student Brianna Aguilera Died By Suicide

08:46 AM, 12/06/2025
Mother Demands Reinvestigation After Austin Police Say Texas A&M Student Brianna Aguilera Died By Suicide

Stephanie Rodriguez, mother of Texas A&M student Brianna Marie Aguilera, rejects the Austin Police Department’s conclusion that her daughter died by suicide and is demanding a reopened investigation. APD detectives say physical, video and digital evidence—including a deleted note on Aguilera’s phone dated four days before her death—are indicative of suicide and that no criminal activity was found. Rodriguez and attorney Tony Buzbee have called on Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Rangers to review the case and say they will press for a more exhaustive independent review.

Mother Demands Reinvestigation After Austin Police Announce Suicide Ruling

Brianna Marie Aguilera, a 21-year-old Texas A&M sophomore, was found dead outside the 21 Rio apartment building in Austin early on Nov. 29, hours after the annual Texas A&M–UT rivalry game. On Dec. 4, the Austin Police Department held an unusually detailed press conference saying physical, video and digital evidence indicate Aguilera died by suicide.

Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, strongly disputes that conclusion. Speaking at a Dec. 5 news conference with Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, Rodriguez said she spoke to Brianna every day and insisted her daughter was not suicidal. The family is calling for a reopened, independent investigation and has asked that the Texas Rangers and Governor Greg Abbott review the case.

"I can deal with you being annoyed each time I called or tried to talk to you... But I cannot deal with you doing a news conference and saying false things about my child," Rodriguez said. "Without a thorough investigation, I cannot deal with you jumping to conclusions and not performing an actual investigation. I cannot deal with your failure to do your job."

At the Dec. 4 briefing, APD Chief Lisa Davis said the department rarely speaks publicly about suspected suicides but felt compelled to address circulating inaccuracies that had harmed innocent people. Sgt. Nathan Sexton told reporters that investigators "had to rely on the evidence," and that "all evidence in this case is indicative of suicide." Detectives said they recovered a deleted digital note on Aguilera's phone dated four days before her death and noted prior suicidal comments to friends in October.

Lead homicide detective Det. Robert Marshall said investigators found no evidence pointing to criminal activity: "Between all of the witness statements, all of the video evidence, all of the digital evidence collected, at no time did any evidence point to this being anything of a criminal nature."

Attorney Buzbee criticized media coverage of the police briefing and urged state-level oversight, asking that the Texas Rangers review the handling of the investigation. Rodriguez and Buzbee left their Dec. 5 press conference without taking reporters’ questions. The family says it will continue to press for answers and a more exhaustive, independent review of the circumstances surrounding Brianna Aguilera’s death.

Reporting on this case has appeared in multiple outlets, including FOX 26 Houston and PEOPLE.

Similar Articles

Trending