Topline: The Texas A&M student and former cheerleader was found dead in Austin after a tailgate, prompting her mother to demand answers.
Published: December 3, 2025 8:00 am ET
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Brianna Aguilera (via GoFundMe)
The mother of a Texas A&M University student found dead in Austin after a rivalry-weekend tailgate is pleading for answers, saying the explanation she’s been given so far “makes no sense” and leaves her “destroyed.”
According to ABC7, Stephanie Rodriguez learned on Saturday that her 19-year-old daughter, Brianna Aguilera, had died near the University of Texas at Austin after attending a UT–Texas A&M tailgate the previous day.
“I was in disbelief. I yelled, I shouted, I told the officer that it wasn’t true, that he was lying to me,” Rodriguez told ABC7, adding, “It was just devastation to the max. I was destroyed.”
According to KGNS, Aguilera—a Texas A&M junior who was set to turn 20 in January—had traveled to Austin after spending Thanksgiving with her family in Laredo. Her mother told KGNS that Brianna had taken her younger brothers to see the movie “Wicked” before heading to the tailgate.
“She was definitely most excited to see the A&M game vs UT. Not attend the game, the tailgate,” she said.
Both ABC7 and KGNS report that Austin police told Rodriguez underage drinking took place at the tailgate and that Brianna became intoxicated before being kicked out, eventually ending up at friends’ apartment near campus. Rodriguez noted to ABC7 that Brianna’s phone had been placed on “Do Not Disturb,” which she said was unusual: “My daughter never does unless she’s in class or studying for an exam.”
KGNS reports that Rodriguez began calling Austin police Friday evening when she couldn’t reach her daughter and noticed her location wasn’t updating. “What was weird to me and skeptical was her phone was on Do Not Disturb… That stopped happening around 6 p.m.,” she said. She told KGNS police said she couldn’t file a missing persons report yet and that officers declined to immediately check the creekside area where her daughter’s phone was pinging.
As Rodriguez continued pressing for help, the phone remained at the same location into Saturday morning. KGNS reports she urged Austin police to send a search team, saying, “I couldn’t locate her and none of her friends were answering.”
According to MySA, a bystander—not police—discovered Brianna’s body, and Austin officers notified Rodriguez at 4 p.m. Saturday. “Until finally, at 4 p.m. I get a call from an officer from Austin PD telling me my daughter was found in the morgue,” she told KGNS. Aguilera was identified through fingerprint analysis.
Austin police confirmed to MySA that officers had responded around 12:47 a.m. Saturday to 21 Rio Apartments, a high-rise in the West Campus neighborhood, where they found an unresponsive woman who was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. ABC7 reported the apartment unit was on the 17th floor, and Rodriguez told ABC7 that police informed her 14 people had been inside at the time.
All three outlets—ABC7, KGNS, and MySA—report that Austin police say the case is not being investigated as a homicide.
An APD spokesperson told MySA there was “no evidence of any suspicious circumstances,” and according to ABC7, authorities said there were no indications of foul play. KGNS adds that police suggested to the family the death may have been accidental or a suicide.
Rodriguez contests that characterization. “My daughter was not suicidal. She loved life. She wanted to graduate. She wanted to become an attorney,” she told ABC7. Speaking to KGNS, she added, “She was really looking forward to taking her LSATs… She had a 4.0 GPA at A&M; she was very studious.”
Her frustration intensified after meeting with the lead investigator on Dec. 1., KGNS reports. Rodriguez said she “asked and demanded for another detective to be assigned,” but was told no.
She said investigators told her “their geometric system was broken” and they were “eyeballing the distance” from the 17th-floor fall. KGNS further reports that Rodriguez questioned the timing of police interviews, saying officers waited until 1 p.m. Saturday to speak with the friends who had been in the apartment.
MySA reports that in a Facebook post on Monday, Rodriguez wrote, “Someone killed by Brie,” and accused people from the tailgate of fabricating their story.
Another post, which she shared publicly, intensified her accusations: “This was not accidental someone killed my brie and gave all the group of friends a lot of time to come up with the same story. My daughter would not jump 17 stories from a building and to be labeling this as a suicide is insane. My daughter loved life and was excited to graduate and pursue her career in Law. Austin PD and Detective Marshall is not doing his job! How is it that certain friends left immediately and the person who was living at the apartment complex vacated her apartment ASAP.”
While police say the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death—an autopsy and toxicology work that MySA reports could take months—Rodriguez says she is committed to finding clarity. She told KGNS, “To see her gone so soon… and not have anyone take accountability for what happened that night in that apartment.”
A GoFundMe supporting the family has raised more than $30,000.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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What Happened to Brianna Aguilera? Police Face Scrutiny as Family Pushes for a Deeper Investigation
The Texas A&M student and former cheerleader was found dead in Austin after a tailgate, prompting her mother to demand answers.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 3, 2025 8:00 am ET
Brianna Aguilera (via GoFundMe)
The mother of a Texas A&M University student found dead in Austin after a rivalry-weekend tailgate is pleading for answers, saying the explanation she’s been given so far “makes no sense” and leaves her “destroyed.”
According to ABC7, Stephanie Rodriguez learned on Saturday that her 19-year-old daughter, Brianna Aguilera, had died near the University of Texas at Austin after attending a UT–Texas A&M tailgate the previous day.
“I was in disbelief. I yelled, I shouted, I told the officer that it wasn’t true, that he was lying to me,” Rodriguez told ABC7, adding, “It was just devastation to the max. I was destroyed.”
According to KGNS, Aguilera—a Texas A&M junior who was set to turn 20 in January—had traveled to Austin after spending Thanksgiving with her family in Laredo. Her mother told KGNS that Brianna had taken her younger brothers to see the movie “Wicked” before heading to the tailgate.
“She was definitely most excited to see the A&M game vs UT. Not attend the game, the tailgate,” she said.
Both ABC7 and KGNS report that Austin police told Rodriguez underage drinking took place at the tailgate and that Brianna became intoxicated before being kicked out, eventually ending up at friends’ apartment near campus. Rodriguez noted to ABC7 that Brianna’s phone had been placed on “Do Not Disturb,” which she said was unusual: “My daughter never does unless she’s in class or studying for an exam.”
KGNS reports that Rodriguez began calling Austin police Friday evening when she couldn’t reach her daughter and noticed her location wasn’t updating. “What was weird to me and skeptical was her phone was on Do Not Disturb… That stopped happening around 6 p.m.,” she said. She told KGNS police said she couldn’t file a missing persons report yet and that officers declined to immediately check the creekside area where her daughter’s phone was pinging.
As Rodriguez continued pressing for help, the phone remained at the same location into Saturday morning. KGNS reports she urged Austin police to send a search team, saying, “I couldn’t locate her and none of her friends were answering.”
According to MySA, a bystander—not police—discovered Brianna’s body, and Austin officers notified Rodriguez at 4 p.m. Saturday. “Until finally, at 4 p.m. I get a call from an officer from Austin PD telling me my daughter was found in the morgue,” she told KGNS. Aguilera was identified through fingerprint analysis.
Austin police confirmed to MySA that officers had responded around 12:47 a.m. Saturday to 21 Rio Apartments, a high-rise in the West Campus neighborhood, where they found an unresponsive woman who was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. ABC7 reported the apartment unit was on the 17th floor, and Rodriguez told ABC7 that police informed her 14 people had been inside at the time.
All three outlets—ABC7, KGNS, and MySA—report that Austin police say the case is not being investigated as a homicide.
An APD spokesperson told MySA there was “no evidence of any suspicious circumstances,” and according to ABC7, authorities said there were no indications of foul play. KGNS adds that police suggested to the family the death may have been accidental or a suicide.
Rodriguez contests that characterization. “My daughter was not suicidal. She loved life. She wanted to graduate. She wanted to become an attorney,” she told ABC7. Speaking to KGNS, she added, “She was really looking forward to taking her LSATs… She had a 4.0 GPA at A&M; she was very studious.”
Her frustration intensified after meeting with the lead investigator on Dec. 1., KGNS reports. Rodriguez said she “asked and demanded for another detective to be assigned,” but was told no.
She said investigators told her “their geometric system was broken” and they were “eyeballing the distance” from the 17th-floor fall. KGNS further reports that Rodriguez questioned the timing of police interviews, saying officers waited until 1 p.m. Saturday to speak with the friends who had been in the apartment.
MySA reports that in a Facebook post on Monday, Rodriguez wrote, “Someone killed by Brie,” and accused people from the tailgate of fabricating their story.
Another post, which she shared publicly, intensified her accusations: “This was not accidental someone killed my brie and gave all the group of friends a lot of time to come up with the same story. My daughter would not jump 17 stories from a building and to be labeling this as a suicide is insane. My daughter loved life and was excited to graduate and pursue her career in Law. Austin PD and Detective Marshall is not doing his job! How is it that certain friends left immediately and the person who was living at the apartment complex vacated her apartment ASAP.”
While police say the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death—an autopsy and toxicology work that MySA reports could take months—Rodriguez says she is committed to finding clarity. She told KGNS, “To see her gone so soon… and not have anyone take accountability for what happened that night in that apartment.”
A GoFundMe supporting the family has raised more than $30,000.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
What Happened to Brianna Aguilera? Police Face Scrutiny as Family Pushes for a Deeper Investigation
The Texas A&M student and former cheerleader was found dead in Austin after a tailgate, prompting her mother to demand answers.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 3, 2025 8:00 am ET
Brianna Aguilera (via GoFundMe)
The mother of a Texas A&M University student found dead in Austin after a rivalry-weekend tailgate is pleading for answers, saying the explanation she’s been given so far “makes no sense” and leaves her “destroyed.”
According to ABC7, Stephanie Rodriguez learned on Saturday that her 19-year-old daughter, Brianna Aguilera, had died near the University of Texas at Austin after attending a UT–Texas A&M tailgate the previous day.
“I was in disbelief. I yelled, I shouted, I told the officer that it wasn’t true, that he was lying to me,” Rodriguez told ABC7, adding, “It was just devastation to the max. I was destroyed.”
According to KGNS, Aguilera—a Texas A&M junior who was set to turn 20 in January—had traveled to Austin after spending Thanksgiving with her family in Laredo. Her mother told KGNS that Brianna had taken her younger brothers to see the movie “Wicked” before heading to the tailgate.
“She was definitely most excited to see the A&M game vs UT. Not attend the game, the tailgate,” she said.
Both ABC7 and KGNS report that Austin police told Rodriguez underage drinking took place at the tailgate and that Brianna became intoxicated before being kicked out, eventually ending up at friends’ apartment near campus. Rodriguez noted to ABC7 that Brianna’s phone had been placed on “Do Not Disturb,” which she said was unusual: “My daughter never does unless she’s in class or studying for an exam.”
KGNS reports that Rodriguez began calling Austin police Friday evening when she couldn’t reach her daughter and noticed her location wasn’t updating. “What was weird to me and skeptical was her phone was on Do Not Disturb… That stopped happening around 6 p.m.,” she said. She told KGNS police said she couldn’t file a missing persons report yet and that officers declined to immediately check the creekside area where her daughter’s phone was pinging.
As Rodriguez continued pressing for help, the phone remained at the same location into Saturday morning. KGNS reports she urged Austin police to send a search team, saying, “I couldn’t locate her and none of her friends were answering.”
According to MySA, a bystander—not police—discovered Brianna’s body, and Austin officers notified Rodriguez at 4 p.m. Saturday. “Until finally, at 4 p.m. I get a call from an officer from Austin PD telling me my daughter was found in the morgue,” she told KGNS. Aguilera was identified through fingerprint analysis.
Austin police confirmed to MySA that officers had responded around 12:47 a.m. Saturday to 21 Rio Apartments, a high-rise in the West Campus neighborhood, where they found an unresponsive woman who was pronounced dead shortly before 1 a.m. ABC7 reported the apartment unit was on the 17th floor, and Rodriguez told ABC7 that police informed her 14 people had been inside at the time.
All three outlets—ABC7, KGNS, and MySA—report that Austin police say the case is not being investigated as a homicide.
An APD spokesperson told MySA there was “no evidence of any suspicious circumstances,” and according to ABC7, authorities said there were no indications of foul play. KGNS adds that police suggested to the family the death may have been accidental or a suicide.
Rodriguez contests that characterization. “My daughter was not suicidal. She loved life. She wanted to graduate. She wanted to become an attorney,” she told ABC7. Speaking to KGNS, she added, “She was really looking forward to taking her LSATs… She had a 4.0 GPA at A&M; she was very studious.”
Her frustration intensified after meeting with the lead investigator on Dec. 1., KGNS reports. Rodriguez said she “asked and demanded for another detective to be assigned,” but was told no.
She said investigators told her “their geometric system was broken” and they were “eyeballing the distance” from the 17th-floor fall. KGNS further reports that Rodriguez questioned the timing of police interviews, saying officers waited until 1 p.m. Saturday to speak with the friends who had been in the apartment.
MySA reports that in a Facebook post on Monday, Rodriguez wrote, “Someone killed by Brie,” and accused people from the tailgate of fabricating their story.
Another post, which she shared publicly, intensified her accusations: “This was not accidental someone killed my brie and gave all the group of friends a lot of time to come up with the same story. My daughter would not jump 17 stories from a building and to be labeling this as a suicide is insane. My daughter loved life and was excited to graduate and pursue her career in Law. Austin PD and Detective Marshall is not doing his job! How is it that certain friends left immediately and the person who was living at the apartment complex vacated her apartment ASAP.”
While police say the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death—an autopsy and toxicology work that MySA reports could take months—Rodriguez says she is committed to finding clarity. She told KGNS, “To see her gone so soon… and not have anyone take accountability for what happened that night in that apartment.”
A GoFundMe supporting the family has raised more than $30,000.
Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward as the investigation continues.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
