print

TCU police put the campus on alert Thursday following the release of a man who was detained near campus after threatening to dismember a woman.

Daniel Wayne Staley, 24, was detained by Fort Worth police around 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 in the 2800 block of McCart Avenue, according to a report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. According to police, Staley texted a crisis hotline and said he intended to kill a woman with a hammer and dismember her.

Staley received a psychological evaluation at John Peter Smith hospital after being detained.

In a crime alert email to the TCU community, detective Robert Rangel of the TCU police department said Staley was released from the hospital on Jan. 6. Police said Staley would be staying with a relative in a Fort Worth suburb.

According to the Star-Telegram, Staley has a history of mental illness. In 2010, he dug up a grave in Dallas and removed a foot from a corpse, which he later admitted to investigators. Staley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the case.

Staley spent the next three years in a state mental hospital before being released in April 2013. In an interview with WFAA/Channel 8, Russell Staley, his father, said he believed it was “a matter of time” until his son killed someone.

According to the crime alert, TCU police issued the warning due to the “very serious nature” of Staley’s threats. Police are urging anyone who sees Staley or his vehicle on campus to immediately call 817-257-7777.

TCU police issued the following safety tips: