Brianna Aguilera: Tony Buzbee questions death investigation of Texas A&M student
The Brief
The Buzbee Law Firm and the Gamez Law Firm held a press conference to question the Austin Police Department’s investigation into the death of Texas A&M University student Brianna Aguilera.
Buzbee claims the APD has shared details they were not authorized to share with the public yet.
Austin PD released a statement in response to the press conference, stating they’re sticking with the information they provided.
HOUSTON – On Friday, the Buzbee Law Firm and the Gamez Law Firm held a joint press conference to release details about the death of Texas A&M University student Brianna Aguilera.
The family of a 19-year-old Texas A&M student who was found dead outside an Austin apartment building in the West Campus area has hired Buzbee and Gamez to conduct an independent investigation, saying they do not believe the circumstances surrounding her death have been adequately examined by police.
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Brianna Aguilera: Austin police say no evidence of anything criminal as family retains Tony Buzbee
Austin police said 19-year-old Brianna Aguilera, who was found dead outside a high-rise apartment in West Campus last week, died by suicide.
Tony Buzbee statements during press conference
FULL: Death of Brianna Aguilera, lawyer’s hold press conference
The Buzbee Law Firm and the Gamez Law Firm held a press conference to release pertinent details and open questions regarding the investigation into the death of Texas A&M University student Brianna Aguilera.
What they’re saying:
Attorney Buzbee began the conference by talking about Aguilera. “Brianna was a girl who had the world at her feet. Her whole life was in front of her. She was a girl with big plans and big dreams. She was an honor student, a former cheerleader and a proud sophomore at my alma mater, Texas A&M. She was a political science major and wanted to be a future lawyer.”
He went on to claim the investigators at the Austin Police Department have been sharing details they were not authorized to share.
“Do you realize that the autopsy has not been completed? The Medical Examiner’s Office told us it would not be completed for 60 to 90 days. Yet the lead detective in front of millions of people saying that he had concluded that this was a suicide. By law, he does not have the authority to make that conclusion.”
Featured
Brianna Aguilera: Austin police say no evidence of anything criminal as family retains Tony Buzbee
Austin police said 19-year-old Brianna Aguilera, who was found dead outside a high-rise apartment in West Campus last week, died by suicide.
Buzbee questions why APD were so quick to rule Aguilera’s death a suicide.
He even makes the following statement regarding the APD: “I’m suggesting they’re lazy and incompetent.”
You can watch the full press conference held on Friday in the video player at the top of the story page.
Brianna’s mother issues statement during news conference
Brianna Aguilera’s mother provides statement
Stephanie Rodriguez, Brianna’s mother, issued a statement on Friday during a news conference.
“Hello, my name is Stephanie Rodriguez, and I’m the mother of Brianna Aguilera. Brianna was a driven, disciplined, and caring person. She was beautiful. She was a loving daughter, a protective big sister, and a caring granddaughter. A second mom to her two younger brothers. Her baby was her little Yorkie Ava. All of us were her best friend. She made everyone around her feel loved and supported. I considered her my best friend. Not just a mother-daughter relationship. We talked every day, and she would tell me everything. I miss her so much. Her brothers miss her too. Her father and grandmother miss her so much, and so do all her friends.
Brianna grew up as an all-star cheerleader, an incredible athlete. She was an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society all throughout school. Christmas was her favorite time of year. She loved decorating, baking, and hiding the elf on the shelf for her little brother. Her brothers already miss her so much. Brianna graduated Magna cum lati from high school. She was accepted to many colleges, but chose Texas A&M. She was studying political science and criminal justice. She was not like most young girls. She loved writing more than watching TV. Her favorite class at A&M were her creative writing classes. She dreamt 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. Even the morning of the 28th, she was not suicidal.
To the Austin police, I can deal with you being annoyed each time I called or tried to talk to you. I can deal with how arrogantly you talked 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 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 PD response
The other side:
Following the press conference, Austin Police sent a statement to FOX 7 Austin’s Meredith Aldis:
“The Austin Police (APD) stands by the information that we provided yesterday during our news conference regarding the tragic death of Brianna Aguilera on Saturday, November 29, 2025. We would like to reiterate a couple key points. The Travis County Medical Examiner determines the cause and manner of death, and APD has never made a determination in this case. Our role is to conduct an investigation and follow the evidence. This investigation remains open, and at no point has APD stated otherwise.
“We understand emotions are extremely high and that Brianna’s passing has brought immense pain to her loved ones. We share in that sorrow. This is still an active and ongoing investigation. The misinformation that has been shared harms innocent people and jeopardizes the integrity of the investigative process. From the beginning, our priority has been and continues to be, to conduct a thorough, complete, and respectful investigation.”
The Source: Press conference held by Houston attorney Tony Buzbee, and an Austin Police statement sent to FOX 7 Austin.
The mysterious death of Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera has been ruled a suicide, police said, noting a suicide note found on her phone and reported previous comments about self-harm.
The investigation began at 12:46 a.m. Saturday when officers responded to an Austin apartment complex and found Aguilera on the ground with trauma from an apparent fall from a high floor, Austin Police Detective Robert Marshall said.
Cameras showed Aguilera arriving at the apartment complex just after 11 p.m. Friday and going to an apartment on the 17th floor, Marshall said at a news conference on Thursday. The video showed “a large group of friends left that same apartment at 12:30 a.m. on Nov. 29, leaving just Brianna and three other girls in the apartment,” he said.
Brianna Aguilera is shown in this undated file photo.
Earlier on Friday, Aguilera was at a tailgate for the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas football game, and she “became intoxicated to a point where she was asked to leave,” Marshall said.
Aguilera told her friends that she lost her phone, and when they arrived at the apartment Friday night, she borrowed a phone to call her boyfriend, he said.
Witnesses heard her argue on the phone with her boyfriend, Marshall said. That phone call took place from 12:43 a.m. to 12:44 am — two minutes before a 911 call, he said.
College student Brianna Aguilera mysteriously dies after football tailgate in Texas, family says
When police later found Aguilera’s lost phone, they recovered a “deleted digital suicide note dated Tuesday, Nov. 25 of this year, which was written to specific people in her life,” Marshall said.
“Brianna had made suicidal comments previously to friends, back in October of this year,” he said. “This continued through the evening of her death, with some self-harming actions early in the evening and a text message to another friend indicating the thought of suicide.”
No evidence in the investigation ever pointed to a crime, Marshall stressed, adding, “Every friend and witness during this investigation has been nothing but forthcoming and open.”
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Aguilera’s family told local media earlier this week the beloved college student was not suicidal and was planning to pursue a career in law.
After Thursday’s police news conference, family attorney Tony Buzbee maintained that the “circumstances surrounding her death are very suspicious.”
“The Austin Police Department’s handling of this matter creates more questions than it provides answers,” Buzbee said in a statement. “As far as we are concerned, this is an open investigation and will continue to be open until these parents are satisfied they know what happened to their daughter.”
Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at the news conference, “I understand how grief and the need for answers can raise intense emotions and many questions. But sometimes the truth doesn’t provide the answers we are hoping for, and that is this case.”
Davis said her “heart aches” for Aguilera’s parents.
“I have three daughters and a son, and I cannot begin to imagine the pain,” Davis said.
