Mom Wants New Investigation After Police Say Texas A&M Student Died by Suicide

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The mother of the late Texas A&M student Brianna Marie Aguilera said that she believes the Austin Police Department failed to do its jobOn Thursday, the APD held a press conference in which they stated that Aguilera died by suicideAguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, is pushing for a new investigation into her daughter’s death

Stephanie Rodriguez said she is still looking for answers regarding the death of her daughter Brianna Marie Aguilera, and she is calling on the Austin Police Department to “do your job.”

In a press conference with her Houston-based attorney Tony Buzbee on Friday, Dec. 5, the mother of the late Texas A&M sophomore emphasized that Aguilera — who was found dead outside a high-rise Austin apartment on Saturday, Nov. 29 — “was not suicidal,” and that she spoke to her daughter every day.

“I can deal with you being annoyed each time I called or tried to talk to you,” Rodriguez said, referring to the Austin Police Department. “I can deal with how arrogantly you talk down to us each time we talked. I can deal with you telling my daughter’s friends not to talk to me like I am some sort of criminal. But I cannot deal with you doing a news conference and saying false things about my child.”

She continued, “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, do your job.” 

Austin Police discovered Aguilera’s body outside 21 Rio, a 21-story apartment complex early on Saturday, Nov. 29, hours after the annual rivalry football game between the Aggies and the University of Texas had ended.

On Thursday, Dec. 4, detectives with the police department held an unusual press conference to share a detailed timeline about the hours before Aguilera’s death.

“It is not common for a police department to speak publicly about a death by suicide, but inaccurate information has circulated and been reported and that has led to additional harm of innocent people, bullying, included, and their families,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said. “There have also been statements suggesting the police have failed to do our jobs. Those statements are not accurate.”

“In every investigation, we have to rely on the evidence, and all evidence in this case is indicative of suicide,” Sgt. Nathan Sexton said during the press conference.

During the investigation, they found a “deleted digital suicide note” dated four days prior on Aguilera’s phone, “which was written to specific people in her life.”

“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,” Det. Robert Marshall, lead homicide detective, said. “Rather, our investigation revealed that, unfortunately, Brianna had made suicidal comments previously to friends back in October of this year. This continued through the evening of her death with some self-harming actions earlier in the evening and a text message to another friend indicating the thought of suicide.”

Rodriguez has been vocal in her denial about her daughter’s suicide. 

Earlier this week, she spoke to PEOPLE about the moment a police officer told her of their findings.

“And that’s when it made me very upset because I was like, my daughter wasn’t suicidal,” Rodriguez told PEOPLE. “I would know. She’s not suicidal. Why would she be? She was living her best life. She loved life. I mean, she loved going to school. She wanted to become a lawyer.”

On Friday, Rodriguez painted a picture of her daughter, who she claimed “was not like other girls.”

Brianna Aguilera.

Courtesy of Stephanie Rodriguez

“Brianna was a driven, disciplined and caring person,” she said. “She was beautiful. She was a loving daughter, a protective big sister, and a caring granddaughter, a second mom to her two younger brothers.”

She continued, “I considered her my best friend, not just a mother-daughter relationship. We talked every day and she would tell me everything. … She was not like most young girls. She loved writing more than watching TV. She dreamed of attending law school in New York and wanted to become a criminal defense lawyer. She was so smart and had such a bright future. She dreamt of a life of where she could make a difference. My daughter was not suicidal. I know my daughter better than anyone. We spoke every day. I spoke to her on the 25th, the 26th and the 27th.”

At the press conference, Buzbee — who has handled a number of high-profile national cases including representing several of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ and one of Jay-Z’s sexual assault accusers — called on Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Rangers law enforcement agency to reopen the investigation.

“Your headline is this,” he told members of the media, whom he criticized for “lapping up” the details from the Austin Police Department’s press conference the day before. “There are serious and disturbing questions raised with regard to the Austin Police Department’s handling of the investigations surrounding the death of Brianna Aguilera. The Texas Rangers have now been called to intervene.”

Buzbee then ended the press conference without taking questions from reporters.