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The family of Brianna Aguilera is questioning the Austin Police Department’s handling of the investigation into her death, accusing the department of a flawed and incomplete inquiry.
As previously reported by CrimeOnline, Austin police concluded that the 19-year-old Texas A&M student died by suicide, having fallen 17 floors from the 21 Rio apartment complex situated near the University of Texas at 2101 Rio Grande Street in Austin.
However, Aguilera’s family disputes this conclusion, criticizing the investigators for allegedly rushing to judgment without conducting a thorough examination.
“I’m asserting that there was incompetence and a lack of diligence on the detective’s part,” said Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing Aguilera’s parents, as reported by FOX 7 Austin.
Following the incident, the Austin Police Department released a timeline of events leading to Aguilera’s death, claiming she took her own life based on the discovery of a deleted digital suicide note. They also reportedly uncovered messages to friends indicating thoughts of self-harm.
Buzbee, however, said that only a medical examiner can determine the cause of death. He added that police told Aguilera’s mother that she took her own life within hours of finding her body.
“We were asked by these parents who loved their daughter to find the truth of what happened to her,” Buzbee said. “Good investigations lead to conclusions. Bad investigations start with a conclusion.”
“We know how tall Brianna was. She was 5’2. The railing’s 44 inches. You don’t fall over it. There’s no, there’s no furniture on in the balcony. There’s nothing to climb up on to jump off.”
Buzbee is now asking for APD’s lead detective, Robert Marshall, to be removed from the case. If not, he plans to write a letter to Gov. Greg Abbott, with a request for the Texas Rangers to take over the case.
Check back for updates.
[Feature Photo via Instagram]
