Texas A&M student found dead in apartment hours after she attended college football tailgate as mom demands answers: ‘What happened remains unclear’
The mother of 19-year-old Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera, who was found dead early Saturday morning outside a west side apartment complex after attending a football game tailgate with her friends, is demanding answers about her daughter’s tragic death.
“On Friday, November 28, 2025, Brianna attended the UT vs. Texas A&M tailgate with friends in Austin,” a GoFundMe created by Aguilera’s cousin, Amabelii Fernandez, reads. “The details surrounding what happened next remain unclear, and her mother is still awaiting answers.”
The Austin Police Department believes Aguilera fell from the 17th floor, which they think is a suicide. She was located at 2101 Rio Grande Street, outside of 21 Rio Apartments, which has 21 floors.
However, Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, told KSAT on Monday that her daughter was not suicidal, but full of ambition, and looking forward to becoming a lawyer.
Rodriguez also told the outlet that she’s received inconsistent answers from the Austin PD about the circumstances around her daughter’s death.
“He told me they said she jumped, and then he told me that the friends said they didn’t know her whereabouts,” Rodriguez said about her interactions with police.
Rodriguez believes someone among the 15 people in the apartment at the time of her death knows more about what happened to her daughter.
“There was a fight that happened between my daughter and another girl, and they were all staying in the same apartment that I have actual text messages of, and the detective just disregarded them,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez told KSAT she called police when Aguilera stopped answering her phone after Friday’s game and saw it was still pinging in Austin, but officers told her she had to wait 24 hours to file a missing person report.
Aguilera’s her body was located at 1 a.m Saturday, with her phone being found later the same day. Yet Rodriguez wasn’t informed her daughter was in the morgue until 4 p.m that afternoon.
In a statement to The Independent, Austin PD said, “At this time, the incident is not being investigated as a homicide, and there are no indications of suspicious circumstances.”
“The cause of death will be determined by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation remains ongoing,” the force added.
The Independent has contacted Texas A&M for comment.
Aguilera’s GoFundMe has surpassed its $12,000 goal with over $31,000 in donations at the time of publication.
Her cousin described her as a “seasoned cheerleader” who received honors of Magna Cum Laude at United High School, Texas.
“She was pursuing her dream of becoming a lawyer and was attending The Bush School of Government & Public Service at Texas A&M,” Fernandez wrote. “Her dream was to always be an AGGIE! She was a year shy of attaining her Aggie ring.”
If you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call or text 988, or visit 988lifeline.org to access online chat from the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re in the UK, you can speak to the Samaritans, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch. If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.
