Texas A&M student dies hours after football tailgate, family questions possible suicide ruling

[Ssschu]

12/4/25

TAILGATE PARTY SHOCK: GLAM TEXAS A&M HONOR SOPH DEAD, "FRIENDS" CLAM UP​

NG is sensationalizing this, as usual. Her friends didn't clam up. LE said everyone involved has been completely cooperative.

 

[LAborn]

NG is sensationalizing this, as usual. Her friends didn't clam up. LE said everyone involved has been completely cooperative.

Agree. I believe the mother said the police told the friends and bf not to speak to her, which is sound advice considering...

 

[Quill]

The proverbial elephant in the room here is what the arguments were about. First, an argument with one of the girlfriends, then an argument with the boyfriend (same issue?) immediately following, then the untimely death. Could their be more to the tailgating incident and all of this connected to the arguments? There are timeline issues, realistically speaking. I've read through this several times from several sources. Some I can't quote here. I have not watched NG, for the record. I've been back and forth with my opinions and each time I feel settled with one, I see something else that unsettles me.

Anyone should welcome further investigation. Further investigation by Texas Rangers is not an indictment of APD, it is simply a measure of due diligence that anyone would want in a situation such as this. JMO

 

[LAborn]

The proverbial elephant in the room here is what the arguments were about. First, an argument with one of the girlfriends, then an argument with the boyfriend (same issue?) immediately following, then the untimely death. Could their be more to the tailgating incident and all of this connected to the arguments? There are timeline issues, realistically speaking. I've read through this several times from several sources. Some I can't quote here. I have not watched NG, for the record. I've been back and forth with my opinions and each time I feel settled with one, I see something else that unsettles me.

Anyone should welcome further investigation. Further investigation by Texas Rangers is not an indictment of APD, it is simply a measure of due diligence that anyone would want in a situation such as this. JMO

I suspect since APD interviewed the friends and boyfriend they know the content of the arguments. Will mother be satisfied with Texas Rangers' conclusions? Brianna expressed suicidal thoughts to friend(s)...mother has said repeatedly she knows her daughter and she was happy and not suicidal. I get it's difficult to face reality, but to willfully ignore her daughter's mental health struggles is an indication of denial and distorted thinking. It's not shameful to have a child who has mental health issues. So she either knew and deflected, or she didn't know her daughter as well as she claims, in which case maybe she should maintain an open mind and stop accusing everyone around Brianna of foul play. JMO

 

[Quill]

I suspect since APD interviewed the friends and boyfriend they know the content of the arguments. Will mother be satisfied with Texas Rangers' conclusions? Brianna expressed suicidal thoughts to friend(s)...mother has said repeatedly she knows her daughter and she was happy and not suicidal. I get it's difficult to face reality, but to willfully ignore her daughter's mental health struggles is an indication of denial and distorted thinking. It's not shameful to have a child who has mental health issues. So she either knew and deflected, or she didn't know her daughter as well as she claims, in which case maybe she should maintain an open mind and stop accusing everyone around Brianna of foul play. JMO

You may well be on the right track, but I stand by my opinion that another investigation is warranted. Have you heard what the argument was about? APD has "college fatigue" when it comes to cases like these. IMO, they reached too quickly, whatever the end result may be. That in itself warrants another look. There have been many people who struggled with despair and we do not know the extent of this young woman's despair. It all gets decided on by someone categorizing it in a nutshell. As a mother, I well understand that she may be in denial OR she may just be leaving no stone unturned. If you knew what she knew about the argument, you might agree with her, JMO. I'm with her.

 

[LAborn]

You may well be on the right track, but I stand by my opinion that another investigation is warranted. Have you heard what the argument was about? APD has "college fatigue" when it comes to cases like these. IMO, they reached too quickly, whatever the end result may be. That in itself warrants another look. There have been many people who struggled with despair and we do not know the extent of this young woman's despair. It all gets decided on by someone categorizing it in a nutshell. As a mother, I well understand that she may be in denial OR she may just be leaving no stone unturned. If you knew what she knew about the argument, you might agree with her, JMO. I'm with her.

It's a given you're entitled to your opinion. I have the same information everyone has, what LE has shared via press conferences. My point is LE has details that the public doesn't have. I'm not a fan of LE by any stretch, but for mother to call them "lazy" or for you to say "college fatigue" is pretty insulting. It's their job and profession. Most are pretty good at it. When someone commits suicide, it doesn't take LE long to determine that. Sure, have other agencies look at the case. I'm a mother too. As a mother I wouldn't hire a lawyer as she did. I would maintain communication with LE so I understood what's going on with the case. She immediately positioned herself as a critic and adversary to LE, how is that smart if you're trying to find answers? From outward appearances based on who she hired it looks like she's trying to find people to sue. She made odd snide remarks about the city of Austin too, what's that about? I'm guessing because it's liberal, arts town? Seemed strange and inappropriate.

Does anyone seriously think LE wants to tell Brianna's family she killed herself just so they can close the case?

 

[scapa]

It's a given you're entitled to your opinion. I have the same information everyone has, what LE has shared via press conferences. My point is LE has details that the public doesn't have. I'm not a fan of LE by any stretch, but for mother to call them "lazy" or for you to say "college fatigue" is pretty insulting. It's their job and profession. Most are pretty good at it. When someone commits suicide, it doesn't take LE long to determine that. Sure, have other agencies look at the case. I'm a mother too. As a mother I wouldn't hire a lawyer as she did. I would maintain communication with LE so I understood what's going on with the case. She immediately positioned herself as a critic and adversary to LE, how is that smart if you're trying to find answers? From outward appearances based on who she hired it looks like she's trying to find people to sue. She made odd snide remarks about the city of Austin too, what's that about? I'm guessing because it's liberal, arts town? Seemed strange and inappropriate.

Does anyone seriously think LE wants to tell Brianna's family she killed herself just so they can close the case?

I don't particularly think that here, but the Ellen Greenberg case has been (finally and rightly) in the news quite a bit recently and there are other prominent examples that might make a grieving parent wonder if a conclusion is perhaps premature and conveniently pat.

I also suspect there's another path this case might have taken, where a more systematic and careful investigation (according to the deceased's mum) with better communication between parties and evidence-based conclusions does a better job of explaining what happened on the day her daughter passed away.\

Again, I have no ideal what happened here, and think there are better, less confrontational means of challenging LE on their methods and explanations.

But as we have seen many times here on WS, sometimes it takes a long, hard battle to arrive at the truth.

Death of Ellen Greenberg - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[avalonisland]

She may have had suicidal tendencies, but in my opinion, she may not have died by suicide. Was there a chair on balcony or any patio pillows? She was small in height, so she would have needed some support to get to top of rail if it was a suicide. About 3 friends left in apartment when she had phone argument with boyfriend. Maybe one or more tried to stop her from going over rail? The whole incident sounds suspicious to me. I am just surprised police not calling this an accidental death with intoxication being a factor. If one wants to commit suicide and writes an alleged letter days before, I find it weird that that person would travel out of area for tailgate party, football game, away from boyfriend, etc. If her mind was truly on suicide, I just don't think she would have been bothered on attending anymore parties. In my opinion based on personal experience with family member who died by jumping.

 

[Quill]

It's a given you're entitled to your opinion. I have the same information everyone has, what LE has shared via press conferences. My point is LE has details that the public doesn't have. I'm not a fan of LE by any stretch, but for mother to call them "lazy" or for you to say "college fatigue" is pretty insulting. It's their job and profession. Most are pretty good at it. When someone commits suicide, it doesn't take LE long to determine that. Sure, have other agencies look at the case. I'm a mother too. As a mother I wouldn't hire a lawyer as she did. I would maintain communication with LE so I understood what's going on with the case. She immediately positioned herself as a critic and adversary to LE, how is that smart if you're trying to find answers? From outward appearances based on who she hired it looks like she's trying to find people to sue. She made odd snide remarks about the city of Austin too, what's that about? I'm guessing because it's liberal, arts town? Seemed strange and inappropriate.

Does anyone seriously think LE wants to tell Brianna's family she killed herself just so they can close the case?

My comment using "college fatigue" is well warranted and is not something I made up. This term has been used with regards to APD before with regards to other cases that have a tie-in to UT. In this one, they could not hand it off to UT because she was not a a student or tied to campus.

I wouldn't assume her remarks about Austin have anything to do with it being a liberal arts town? She likely has had some experience that is informing her opinion.

I cannot forget how Morgan Harrington's case was handled when cases come up involving college towns or college PD's. Although her case did involve campus police at UVA, she was a VaTech student who had come there for a concert and disappeared. Because she was not a UVA student and from out of town, there were some major gaps in the early days of that investigation. I won't get off into the weeds about that case which now has a quite famous (infamous?) resolution because it does not align with this one in any way except being a college town.

 

[Quill]

She may have had suicidal tendencies, but in my opinion, she may not have died by suicide. Was there a chair on balcony or any patio pillows? She was small in height, so she would have needed some support to get to top of rail if it was a suicide. About 3 friends left in apartment when she had phone argument with boyfriend. Maybe one or more tried to stop her from going over rail? The whole incident sounds suspicious to me. I am just surprised police not calling this an accidental death with intoxication being a factor. If one wants to commit suicide and writes an alleged letter days before, I find it weird that that person would travel out of area for tailgate party, football game, away from boyfriend, etc. If her mind was truly on suicide, I just don't think she would have been bothered on attending anymore parties. In my opinion based on personal experience with family member who died by jumping.

I'm so sorry about your family member. Mine chose a different route and lived to tell about it, thought seriously and permanently disabled. So as strange as it sounds, our family actually had an opportunity to hear what was in his mind and why he did what he did when he did, albeit many months later after he came out of a deep coma.

I agree with so much of what you have said here. I attend all of my college's home football games and we do have a big tailgate set-up. We are actually in the same conference with UT and aTm, so I understand a great deal about the culture surrounding the games, the tailgates, as well as the local PD and the campus PD and how these investigations can go. What is to be lost by having the Texas Rangers do a thorough investigation?

 

[Seattle1]

On Friday night, a parent could not reach their college student (who had traveled to attend a game at a rival school), and their phone was oddly set to "Do Not Disturb."

On Saturday morning, the parent still could not reach their child, and learned the location of their phone was next to a creek. Alarmed, they contacted APD but were told that APD would not accept a missing person report until the student was missing for 24 hours.

At 4 pm (Saturday, 11/29), APD contacted the parent and told them their child was deceased, and their body was in the morgue.

Four days later, APD held a public press conference and announced that the student (Brianna Aguilera) died of suicide after jumping 17 stories, and they were not investigating the case further.

By Statute, the Travis County Medical Examiner is responsible for determining the cause and manner of this death: And just to be clear,

• The autopsy has not been completed, with the medical examiner estimating 60 to 90 days before results are available.
• Toxicology results have not been returned.
• Police acknowledged that a rape kit was performed, but “don’t even know where they’re going to send it.”

This case is textbook on how NOT to conduct a death investigation.

This is every parent's nightmare. MOO


KHOU/12-6-25

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.lmtonline.com/local/article/suicide-investigation-a-m-student-funeral-mass-21232840.php

12/9/25

Aguilera, 19, died after falling 17 stories at an apartment complex near the University of Texas campus. Austin police determined she died by suicide, but the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office has not yet determined the cause of death, and her family insists she would not have taken her own life.

[..]

Aguilera was studying political science and criminal justice with hopes of becoming a lawyer. A Laredo native, she graduated from United High School, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the National Honor Society. She was one year shy of earning her Aggie Ring for completing 90 hours of classes.

 

[Seattle1]

Brianna Marie Aguilera Obituary November 29, 2025 - Hillside Funeral & Cremations

View Brianna Marie Aguilera's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

www.hillsidefuneral.com

 

[ivylambs]

I can believe that this was a suicide or an accident -- it feels like every college has had at least one tragedy involving a drunk student falling to their death. But the way the police are behaving is bizarre, callous, and inappropriate. They "don't even know where they're going to send" the rape kit? Really?

 

[Seattle1]

I can believe that this was a suicide or an accident -- it feels like every college has had at least one tragedy involving a drunk student falling to their death. But the way the police are behaving is bizarre, callous, and inappropriate. They "don't even know where they're going to send" the rape kit? Really?

And if upon a complete investigation, a ME and/or Coroner determines the manner of death a suicide, I don't recall any agency ever calling a press conference to put the victim's suicide on blast!

Seriously, never do I recall such unjust, disrespect, to a young victim and her loved ones by a PD-- only four days after her tragic death! Generally, this is when a PD typically refers inquiries to the ME's office, knowing the autopsy and toxicology results are pending and about 8 weeks away.

Also, under provisions of the Texas Public Information Act and the interpretive opinions of the Texas Attorney General and the courts, unless an individual is being investigated of a crime by police at time of the death, or they die in police custody, investigation of their suicide death is not subject to public disclosure. And if not convicted at time of their death, the release is heavily redacted. (Sometimes referred to as the dead suspects loophole). In other words, no legal reason for APD to handle Briana's case in this manner.

https://www.kxan.com/denied/