FORT WORTH, Texas _ A Denton man accused of abusing the corpse of his mother had a mental breakdown and has been battling mental problems for months, his father said Tuesday.
Isaac Israel Warriner, 22, was taken into custody in Oklahoma on Monday after he fled Denton over the weekend, police said. Denton police found the body of Warriner's mother in her apartment Sunday night.
Denton police had said the woman's body had "obvious signs of trauma" and had been in the apartment for some time. There has been no ruling on the woman's cause of death.
Denton police and Texas officials have not identified the woman, but family members said she was Penelope Warriner, 65, of Denton.
Isaac Warriner was arrested Monday in Love County in Oklahoma after a brief chase. Love County is about 55 miles north of Denton.
On Tuesday, an exhausted Kenneth Warriner told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that he didn't know what had happened in the apartment where his son had been staying with his ex-wife.
The Slidell, La., resident had not had much rest since Sunday night when his ex-wife's body was found. The couple divorced 10 years ago, but he had been alerting relatives and friends in Florida, Louisiana and Texas.
"She had allowed him (Isaac) to stay with her after his last rehabilitation stay," Kenneth Warriner said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
Kenneth Warriner said he had last seen his soon about a week ago, also noting that his son was a college graduate.
Isaac Warriner graduated from the University of North Texas in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in arts, according to UNT school records.
But his father said his son had a traumatic traffic accident in 2018 that put him "on the edge."
Denton County court records indicated Isaac Warriner was charged with driving while intoxicated in December 2018 and again in February 2019. He also was charged with possession of marijuana in February 2019.
"He was prescribed psychotic drugs to try and help, but that didn't seem to work," Kenneth Warriner said.
Kenneth Warriner said Tuesday his son has stayed at several rehabilitation centers in recent months.
"His mother took him this last time," the Slidell man said. "Then this heinous crime happened."
Denton police responded to a report of a suspicious man in the 2400 block of Stockbridge Road shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday.
At the scene, Denton police entered the apartment through an unlocked door to check on the welfare of residents. The woman's body was found in the apartment.
