Family of 19-year-old Brianna Aguilera questions timeline, says her phone was later recovered from a purse tossed in nearby woods.
AUSTIN, Texas — The mother of Brianna Aguilera, a 19-year-old Texas A&M University student found dead early Saturday beneath a West Campus high-rise, is challenging early police assessments while claiming her daughter’s phone was discovered in a friend’s purse that someone threw into nearby woods.
Aguilera died shortly after 12:47 a.m. Saturday outside 21 Rio Apartments, a tower near the University of Texas campus. Austin police have said they are not investigating the case as a homicide and have found no sign of foul play while the medical examiner works to determine cause and manner of death. The family disputes that framing, pointing to the phone detail and what they describe as gaps in the initial response. The case has stirred intense attention in Austin and along the Interstate 35 corridor, where classmates and relatives are pressing for a fuller reconstruction of Aguilera’s final hours.
According to police, officers were called to 2101 Rio Grande St. at 12:47 a.m. Saturday for a report of an unresponsive woman. She was pronounced dead at 12:57 a.m. Detectives later told the family that Aguilera fell from the 17th floor, relatives said. In public comments since, relatives have said Aguilera attended a tailgate linked to the Texas–Texas A&M football weekend and later went to the West Campus building with acquaintances. “She was excited for her future. She was not suicidal,” her mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, said in a televised interview. Rodriguez added that her daughter’s phone was “eventually found in her friend’s purse that was thrown in the woods,” asserting the discovery deepened the family’s concerns about how Aguilera became separated from her belongings and who handled them after the fall.
Police have emphasized that the investigation remains active and that the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the cause and manner of death after toxicology testing, which can take weeks. Officials have not identified any suspects, announced charges, or stated that a crime occurred. They have also not publicly detailed who last saw Aguilera alive, what time she entered the apartment building, or whether surveillance video was reviewed. Relatives say Aguilera was afraid of heights and had been making plans to take the LSAT, which they argue is inconsistent with self-harm. The family has also questioned why some personal items were released to non-family members and whether the apartment where she reportedly spent time was searched thoroughly. Police have not answered those specific claims.
The 21 Rio building anchors a cluster of student-focused towers, bars, and eateries that fill with crowds on game weekends. West Campus has seen several high-rise falls over the past decade, incidents that often hinge on balcony access, late-night gatherings, or alcohol use. Authorities have not said whether alcohol or drugs played a role in Aguilera’s death. Records show Austin detectives commonly await medical examiner findings before classifying similar cases, a process that can take several weeks. Friends and classmates have memorialized Aguilera online, sharing photos and messages that describe her as a driven student from Laredo with ambitions in law.
For now, the procedural next steps center on the medical examiner’s report and any supplementary interviews or evidence reviews. Police say the case is not being treated as a homicide at this stage but remains under investigation. If a cause of death is certified as accidental or suicide, the department typically closes the case unless new evidence emerges. If toxicology results prompt additional questions, detectives could reinterview witnesses, seek building access logs and video, and conduct follow-up searches. The family is seeking more transparency about the chain of custody for Aguilera’s belongings and a clearer accounting of how and when her phone and purse were recovered.
In Austin, students passing the tower left flowers near a temporary memorial Tuesday, the second straight night of gatherings. “Nobody knows what really happened,” said Karla Morales, a UT sophomore who said she did not know Aguilera but walked by the tower daily. “It’s scary because these are places we are in all the time.” A&M students shared condolences on social media, while relatives continued to post tributes and insist Aguilera did not choose to jump. “My daughter loved life,” Rodriguez said. “We want answers.”
As of Wednesday morning, police say there is still no indication of foul play while the medical examiner completes testing. A formal ruling on cause and manner of death is expected in the coming weeks, with any department update to follow the lab report.
Author note: Last updated December 3, 2025.