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Authorities in Austin are speaking out about criticism regarding their investigation of the death of Brianna Marie AguileraThe 19-year-old Texas A&M student died by suicide, they announced on Thursday, Dec. 4Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, previously told PEOPLE that she didn’t believe her daughter would take her own life

Authorities in Austin, Texas are speaking out in the wake of online allegations — and speculation by Brianna Marie Aguilera’s mother — that the department “failed to do” their jobs following the death of the 19-year-old Texas A&M student.

“It is not common for a police department to speak publicly about a death by suicide, but inaccurate information has circulated and been reported, and that has led to additional harm of innocent people, bullying included, and their families,” Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis said at a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 4. “There have also been statements suggesting the police have failed to do our jobs. Those statements are not accurate.”

Davis, who is the mother of four children, continued: “I understand how grief and the need for answers can raise intense emotions and many questions. But sometimes, sometimes, the truth doesn’t provide the answers we are hoping for, and that is this case.”

In an interview with PEOPLE earlier this week, Aguilera’s mother, Stephanie Rodriguez, pushed back on the department’s initial findings.

Brianna Aguilera.

Courtesy of Stephanie Rodriguez

“I’m thinking either someone shoved her over the balcony, or when my daughter does drink, she has the tendency [to fall asleep], and she’s so thin and frail, she cannot handle alcohol,” Stephanie Rodriguez told PEOPLE. “And I think that maybe either it might’ve been that, and they probably got scared and threw her over the balcony, or they shoved her off.”

Aguilera’s body was found in the early morning hours of Saturday, Nov. 29 outside the 21-story 21 Rio apartment complex on the West Campus of the University of Texas at Austin.

The Laredo native, who was in town to cheer on the Aggies for the Lone Star Showdown rivalry game against the Longhorns, was inside a 17th floor apartment unit with three other young women when she jumped from the balcony, police said.

Police said that Aguilera was on the phone with her boyfriend, just minutes before her death.

“Witnesses heard Brianna arguing on the phone with her boyfriend, which was also confirmed later by the boyfriend. Phones from both the phone Brianna used and the boyfriend’s phone have confirmed through call logs that that call did occur,” Austin Police lead homicide Det. Robert Marshall said. “Now, this call occurred at approximately 12:43 to 12:44 a.m., [for] approximately one minute. This is two minutes before the 911 call of the body found down below on the pavement.”

Rodriguez, who told PEOPLE that she was unable to reach Aguilera on the phone in the hours before her death, said that she thought a fight may have broken out among the women.

Rodriguez alleged that her daughter had an argument with a girl over her boyfriend.

 “They were arguing about that,” she claimed.

Brianna Aguilera.

GoFundMe

But police determined that Aguilera was involved in another altercation, hours earlier at a tailgate at the Austin Rugby Club.

“Through this investigation, it was found that Brianna had attended the tailgate on Friday, Nov. 28 at the Austin Rugby Club, arriving between 4 and 5 p.m and then leaving at approximately 10 p.m.,” Marshall said. “Witnesses stated that after Brianna was asked to leave the tailgate, she’d repeatedly dropped her phone and staggered into a nearby wooded area.”

The detective added, “And then, secondly, the fight, there have been online reports of a fight. The only evidence that we have of any kind of physical altercation was Brianna punching one of her friends that they tried to help her out at the party.”

Marshall and APD homicide Sgt. Nathan Sexton added that hearing negative speculation about their ability to do their jobs was difficult.

“I hated the chatter probably as much as her family and everybody, and the living witnesses hate it,” Marshall said. “The problem is, I can’t make a public statement until I interview everyone, and several of these people we had interviewed two times. Video takes hours and hours not only to get, but then to go through and process, and looking at her phone takes hours to go through.”

He continued, “I’ve never been a part of an investigation that’s happened as fast as I wanted to. We’ve always wanted to go faster, but in this case, so many people knew her, so many people wanted to help us, [that] it’s taken three or four days.”

Sexton added, “Every investigation, we have to rely on the evidence and all evidence in this case is indicative of suicide.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7.