Mother of Texas A&M student demands answers after daughter’s fatal fall from high-rise in Austin
AUSTIN, Texas – The mother of a 19-year-old Texas A&M University student who died after falling from a high-rise apartment near the University of Texas at Austin is pleading for answers — and students living nearby say the circumstances feel deeply unsettling.
Brianna Aguilera, of Laredo, was found unresponsive late Friday night into early Saturday morning outside the 21 Rio apartment complex in Austin.
Austin Police say she fell from the 17th floor of the building. But her mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, says the information she has been given doesn’t add up.
‘It’s unbearable and unimaginable’
Rodriguez said she last heard from her daughter around 6 p.m. Friday, shortly after Aguilera arrived in Austin for the Texas vs. Texas A&M football game.
When Aguilera’s phone went silent and appeared to be on “Do Not Disturb,” Rodriguez said she was alarmed, especially when the phone’s location began pinging near a creek.
Hours later, a passerby discovered Aguilera’s body.
>> What we know about Texas A&M student Brianna Aguilera’s death in Austin
Rodriguez said she was not informed of her daughter’s death for nearly 15 hours, learning the news only around 4 p.m. Saturday, long after Aguilera had been taken to the morgue.
“There are a lot of inconsistencies with the story,” she said. “It’s just so unbearable and unimaginable what happened to her that night. And I don’t have answers.”
Concerns over what happened inside the apartment
Rodriguez said there were about 15 people inside the apartment where her daughter was, yet the 911 call did not come from anyone in that group. Police told her the call was made by a bystander on the ground who discovered Aguilera.
Investigators also raised the possibility of suicide — something Rodriguez rejected immediately.
“I know she was not suicidal,” she said. “There was underage drinking going on, but my daughter would not jump 17 stories from a building.”
She said her daughter had been involved in a fight with another girl earlier that night and provided investigators with text messages she believes are relevant to the case.
Students say the situation feels ‘disturbing’
Students living in and around 21 Rio say the incident has left them shaken — not just by the tragedy but by the unanswered questions.
“It’s honestly insane,” said Kate Amend, a UT student. “People say there was no foul play, but that’s kind of hard to believe.”
Another student living nearby described the atmosphere as tense.
Students we spoke to said the mother’s comments resonate with what they are hearing among peers — concern and speculation.
Police stress investigation remains open
Austin police initially said there were no signs of suspicious circumstances and that the case was not being investigated as a homicide. But after follow-up questions from KSAT, the department clarified the investigation is still “open and ongoing.” The cause of death is pending the Travis County Medical Examiner’s findings.
Police also confirmed receipt of the text messages Rodriguez provided as evidence and said that witness interviews will continue.
A promising young life cut short
Aguilera had graduated magna cum laude from United High School in Laredo and was a student at Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, with plans to pursue a law degree.
“She had her whole life ahead of her,” one UT student said.
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