She was a bright, promising student with the world seemingly at her feet. But a fatal fall from a 17-story Austin high-rise brought Texas A&M cheerleader Brianna Aguilera’s young life to an abrupt and devastating end.
What followed was not only heartbreak for Aguilera’s loved ones, but confusion and mounting suspicion, putting her family and police at odds over the circumstances surrounding the 19-year-old’s November 28 death.
Police believe Aguilera took her own life, an impulsive act triggered by an argument with her boyfriend after a day of heavy drinking, watching the annual rivalry football game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin.
But her family – and their attorney, Tony Buzbee – firmly dispute that belief, accusing Austin police of ignoring critical evidence and rushing to judgment without conducting a thorough investigation. Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, believes her daughter’s death was caused by foul play.
According to Buzbee, central to the family’s concerns is a roughly 12-hour gap between when Aguilera was last seen and when she was reported missing.
Those who had been with Aguilera in her final hours told police they did not see or hear her fall, and said they did not realize she was missing from the apartment until the following day, according to reports. Aguilera did not live there – she was only visiting.
However, Buzbee told the Daily Mail he is in possession of text messages – sent by one of the roommates living at the apartment – suggesting there was, in his words, ‘awareness early that morning that Brianna was no longer in the apartment’, yet law enforcement was not notified for several more hours.
Police believe Brianna Aguilera took her own life, an impulsive act triggered by an argument with her boyfriend (left) after a day of heavy drinking
The 19-year-old was found dead on a street in Austin, Texas, around 1am on November 28
Compounding his concerns, Buzbee said investigators failed to adequately question those present, examine their phones, or fully account for the delay before Aguilera was reported missing.
‘[Austin] PD’s efforts thus far have been shoddy and unprofessional. There hasn’t, to this point, been an investigation,’ claimed Buzbee.
‘There needs to be a complete overhaul and leadership change at APD. They have failed this family, and from what I have learned, have failed many others as well.’
During a press conference earlier this month, Buzbee unveiled what he claims is a crucial witness who was overlooked by APD – a neighbor who says she heard disturbing sounds from the apartment where Aguilera was in the moments before the fatal fall.
Dannah Rodriguez, who lives at the 21 Rio collegiate apartment complex, said she heard yelling and what appeared to be a heated argument involving multiple people late that night.
‘I began hearing a girl arguing with other people,’ she said. ‘It sounded like it was multiple people in the apartment pacing back and forth, so it was hard to recall what was said in the argument.’
Rodriguez said the confrontation escalated to the point that her mother, who was visiting at the time, considered crossing the hallway to intervene. They both heard loud screaming but claimed the noise eventually died down, and they thought nothing more of it.
The neighbor said she had lived opposite the apartment for a year and could hear everything that went on next door, through the ‘paper-thin walls.’ She identified the girl living in the opposite unit as ‘Natalie.’
Natalie, whose last name was not revealed, is a friend of Aguilera’s who hosted her that weekend and often threw parties after Texas football games.
Aguilera was an aspiring lawyer and undergraduate student at Texas A&M University
Aguilera plummeted to her death from the 17th floor of an apartment building just west of the University of Texas at Austin
Shortly after Aguilera was found dead, Rodriguez claimed Natalie moved out.
‘My understanding is that Natalie immediately vacated her apartment after Brianna died, and over the Christmas break, my parents and I saw through the peephole… her parents were grabbing things from the apartment, vacating out,’ she said.
Buzbee said the Austin investigators still haven’t reached out to interview Rodriguez.
He said their failure to do so speaks to the broader ineptitude that he believes has permeated the investigation into Aguilera’s death.
‘They still have made no effort to talk to the residents of the apartment across the hall or adjacent. They have no autopsy results. They didn’t bother to inspect the apartment to look for signs of struggle,’ Buzbee claimed.
‘They didn’t even ask to look at the phones of the girls in the apartment or the boyfriend. They didn’t ask about Bri’s apartment, to see if there were signs of a suicide plan there – there wasn’t, of course.’
The Austin Police Department said that everyone who was in the apartment on the night Aguilera died has cooperated and they have yielded no evidence suggesting foul play.
Police believe Aguilera killed herself, revealing in December that investigators found a deleted suicide note on her phone that had been written earlier that week and was addressed to ‘specific people in her life.’
There were also suicidal texts sent the evening of her death to friends, police claimed, along with what they described as indications of self-harm.
But Buzbee called those claims ‘absolute and total baloney.’
He claims the alleged suicide note was a deleted essay, of no particular relevance, and there was no evidence of self-harm, nor any preexisting concerns for her mental health.
In a combative press conference earlier this month, Aguilera’s family and lawyer demanded police wait until her autopsy is completed before determining her death was a suicide
‘They in no way believe that their daughter took her own life,’ Buzbee said of Aguilera’s family. ‘There is no indication that such is true. The more I look into this, the more I feel strongly that suicide is not what happened here.’
Buzbee is conducting his own investigation into Aguilera’s death.
He said his efforts have so far been stonewalled by APD, who he claims have instructed crucial witnesses not to talk with him or the family, something he called ‘suspicious’ and ‘unprecedented.’
‘It makes me very suspicious and raises questions regarding APD’s professionalism,’ he added.
‘I think once APD hastily told everyone Bri’s death was a suicide, now they are in a position of protecting that conclusion, rather than doing their jobs like responsible professionals.’
During his press conference earlier this month, Buzbee unveiled a lawsuit against a club affiliated with UT-Austin and a local rugby club, accusing the defendants of over-serving Aguilera alcohol during a tailgate party in the hours before her death, despite being underage.
In public remarks, APD Detective Robert Marshall revealed that Aguilera had been so drunk on that fateful night that she had been asked to leave the tailgate party at Austin Rugby Club at 10pm.
At some point during the event, police say Aguilera staggered into nearby woods and became separated from her phone, which investigators later recovered.
Surveillance footage captured Aguilera arriving at the 21 Rio apartment complex at 11pm and going into a unit on the 17th floor, according to police.
Aguilera’s family does not believe she was suicidal and refuted police claims she had previously voiced a willingness to harm herself
Around 12.30am, a large group of people left the apartment, leaving Aguilera and three other young women inside.
Phone records show Aguilera had a one-minute phone call with her out-of-town boyfriend, Aldo Sanchez, 20, from 12.43 to 12.44am.
Witnesses said she argued during the conversation, which was later confirmed by the boyfriend. The nature of the dispute has not been disclosed.
Just two minutes later, at 12.46am, police responded to a 911 call alerting them to a body on the sidewalk below.
Aguilera was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.56am. Police said she had trauma ‘consistent with having fallen from a higher floor.’
She was reported missing later that day and eventually identified by her fingerprints.
‘From the moment this call originated up until now, between all the witness statements, all of the video evidence and all of the digital evidence collected, at no time did any evidence point to this being anything of a criminal nature,’ Detective Marshall said earlier this month.
Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, believes her daughter’s death was caused by foul play
‘Rather, our investigation has 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.’
Despite the police’s ruling, Buzbee has pledged to continue investigating Aguilera’s death.
He said the lawsuit filed by the family will allow him to compel key witnesses and subpoena records, including texts and call logs.
‘We will report what we believe happened once I talk to the three women in the apartment that night, and the boyfriend, and once I review their phones,’ said Buzbee.
‘Bri was a young woman who had great promise. It is a shame she is no longer with us and I can only imagine what her death has done to her family, especially her mother.’
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
