Image: Facebook / Stephanie Rodriguez

Category:

Curveball

Texas A&M Student’s Cause Of Death Shocked Everyone. Her Final Hours And Digital Footprint Raised Even Bigger Questions

A cause of death has been confirmed for Brianna Marie Aguilera, the Texas A&M student found outside a high-rise apartment building in Austin in the early hours of November 29. At a December 4 press conference, Austin Police detectives said Aguilera, 19, died by suicide. The ruling surprised many who had been following the case.

Investigators said her final hours were reconstructed through phone data, deleted files, and witness statements. Those details raised early questions about whether something more complicated happened that night. Even with the updated ruling, several parts of the timeline and digital evidence remain unclear.

Detectives explained that they relied on physical and digital evidence to understand what happened. “In every investigation, we have to rely on the evidence, and all evidence in this case is indicative of suicide,” Sgt. Nathan Sexton said. Officers interviewed witnesses over several days to confirm the timeline.

They also found a “deleted digital suicide note” dated November 25 and addressed to specific people in Aguilera’s life. Detectives said the note, along with witness accounts and video evidence, shaped the direction of the case. “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 said.

He added, “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.”

Police said the details matched what they found at the 21 Rio apartment tower after the rivalry football game. Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis also explained why the department addressed the case publicly. “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,” she said. Davis added that suggestions of investigative failures were not accurate.

The Questions Austin Police Still Have Not Answered

In an interview with PEOPLE, Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, strongly pushed back on the idea that her daughter was suicidal and questioned how investigators reached their conclusion. “And that’s when it made me very upset because I was like, my daughter wasn’t suicidal,” Rodriguez said as she recalled being informed of the early findings. “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.”

Video surveillance showed a gathering on the 17th floor earlier in the night, but most guests had left, leaving only Brianna and three other girls. Detectives said she was on the phone with her boyfriend just minutes before she fell. “Witnesses heard Brianna arguing on the phone with her boyfriend, which was also confirmed later by the boyfriend. Phones from both the phone Brianna used and the boyfriend’s phone have confirmed through call logs that that call did occur,” Marshall said. “Now, this call occurred at approximately 12:43 to 12:44 a.m., for approximately one minute. This is two minutes before the 911 call of the body found down below on the pavement.”

Earlier that night, Aguilera had attended a tailgate at the Austin Rugby Club, where police said she lost her phone. The family also said she was involved in a brief physical confrontation with another woman, a detail they believe should have been examined more closely.

Right now, the case sits in an uncomfortable place. Officials consider it closed, but the people closest to Brianna still feel that too many pieces are missing. Until every question is answered, the story does not feel complete.