The mother of 19-year-old Brianna Marie Aguilera, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has expressed her deep skepticism regarding the details surrounding her daughter's demise. The authorities in Austin, Texas, discovered her body outside a West Campus apartment following the Aggies' game against the University of Texas early on Saturday, November 29th.
In an updated statement shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday, December 2nd, the Austin Police Department stated that they are investigating the college student's death but that "the facts obtained do not indicate that this is a homicide." The department further elaborated, "The case involving the death of Brianna Aguilera remains open, active, and under thorough investigation. Multiple detectives continue to interview witnesses, gather evidence, and work meticulously through the details of the incident. At this stage in the investigation, the facts obtained do not suggest a homicide. This case continues to be treated strictly as a death investigation, and there is no evidence to suggest or support any suspicious or criminal circumstances surrounding Ms. Aguilera’s passing. The cause of death will be determined by the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office."
However, Aguilera's mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, disagrees with the police assessment. "I'm thinking either someone shoved her over the balcony, or when my daughter does drink, she has a tendency to fall asleep," Rodriguez tells PEOPLE exclusively. "And I think that maybe it might've been that, and they probably got scared and threw her over the balcony, or they shoved her off."
Rodriguez asserts that her daughter was at a party on the 17th floor of 21 Rio, a 21-story apartment building, with around 14 other people. She alleges that Brianna had an argument with a girl over her boyfriend. "They were arguing about that," she claims. Despite not being able to reach Aguilera hours earlier when the game began shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 28th, Rodriguez believes a fight may have broken out between her daughter and others at the party.
As she awaits answers, Rodriguez wants others to know that Brianna was a bright student who dreamed of becoming a criminal defense attorney one day. The former high school cheerleader was also a fun-loving sister who doted on her two younger brothers, her mother says. Recently home in Laredo for the Thanksgiving break, Brianna woke up early one morning to surprise her siblings with Starbucks and took them to see Wicked at the movie theater. "She was always smart," Rodriguez says. "She was eager to get back to school. She was happy... She wanted to get back to A&M. There was no way that she would do this to herself."
