SMU PD released a preliminary offense report of the death of Jacob Stiles Monday.
It is severely redacted, but lists the crime description as “Homicide-Unknown Cause” in room 200 of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house.
It also lists five people involved in the case. Stiles is listed as the victim. A 19-year-old white female student is listed as a witness. A 19-year-old white male student and a 20-year-old white male student are also listed as witnesses. In addition, a 19-year-old, white male student is listed as the reporting person.
The report says, “The RO [reporting officer] and UPFD MICU [University Park Fire Department Medical ICU] responded to an unconscious person call.”
The reporting officer listed is SMU Police Captain Tommy Jones. Jones oversees criminal investigations for SMU PD.
SMU Executive Director for News and Media Relations Kent Best said the cause and manner of Stiles’ death are pending a toxicology report. Best said the preliminary report from the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s office said there are no signs of trauma or foul play.
Best added SMU PD has requested the medical examiner’s office rush the report in order to get the results quicker, but said it would still take a minimum of two months before the results would come back.
19-year-old sophomore Liz Wazny was another friend who saw Stiles the night before he died. Wazny said she was questioned by SMU PD the day Stiles’ body was discovered.
Wazny said a member of SAE called her Saturday and told her to come to the SAE house immediately.
“They didn’t tell me [Stiles was dead] over the phone. I just thought it was weird, I was confused,” Wazny said.
When she got to the house, she said about 30 people were gathered inside and she was taken upstairs where she was questioned by SMU PD. Wazny declined to say what she told police.
Wazny met Stiles through her former boyfriend and Stiles’ old roommate Clark Scott, when all three were first-years.
Wazny said she saw Stiles for the last time at a SAE party that was held at Ozona Bar and Grill on Greenville Ave. Friday night.
“We talked in a booth for about 30 minutes,” Wazny said. “He was in a great mood.”
Wazny declined to say what the two talked about, other than it was “personal stuff.”She described Stiles as a fun guy and a good friend.
“He will be more than missed,” she said.Wazny said she called Scott and broke the news of Stiles’ death.
Scott lived with Stiles at the SAE house before withdrawing from SMU two weeks ago and moving back home.
“I had some personal reasons, I wasn’t really happy [at SMU],” Scott said, adding he will be attending Wichita State University in the spring semester.
Scott said he and Stiles were both disappointed about not being roommates anymore.
“It was kind of rough when I left,” he said.
Scott said Stiles didn’t give him any indication he was having any personal problems.
“He’s not the type of person to talk about his problems a lot,” Scott said. “He was being a support system for me more than I was for him.”
Scott also said he didn’t know if Stiles was prone to using drugs.
“It was never anything I did with him, and he never did it around me,” he said.Scott said he and Stiles had been friends since they first came to SMU. They lived a few doors down from each other in Boaz Hall when they were first-years, and became even closer when they both pledged SAE.
“We spent a ton of time together. His sense of humor was an acquired taste, but it was a lot like mine,” Scott said. “You could have a good time hanging out with Jake doing nothing.”
