Unwed Parent Custody

My question involves a child custody case from the State of: Texas My unwed daughter became pregnant. She let the father know and he said he wanted to sign his rights away. The day before he did, he decided that he would not sign. He has been in the childs life for the past 10 months. He just decided to take a job in Indiana and moved and had talked my daughter into moving there when she got done with her college semester in December. He is now being verbally abusive and has threatened to get at least 50% custody, if not more if she doesn't move there. He talked her into putting his last name as the childs on the birth certificate. What is the best thing to do? I don't want here getting up there all alone and him taking the child.

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he said he wanted to sign his rights away.

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He doesn't HAVE any rights TO sign away. The child's last name means nothing legally. The child could be named Mickey Mouse, that doesn't make Mr. Mouse the father or give Mr. Mouse any rights.

The only way dad gets legally enforceable rights, since he wasn't married to mom, is if he seeks them in COURT. He'll have to FIRST establish paternity (by either showing that he acknowledged paternity on the birth certificate or by a DNA test), THEN he can seek visitation rights, in court in the county where the child resides. Unless the mother is found to be legally unfit, dad doesn't have a prayer in hell of getting custody of the child since mom has been the primary caregiver. He's using threats to manipulate the mother, and they aren't even threats that can be carried out. In other words, mom can do whatever she wishes to do, and can tell dad to pound sand. He will have to bring a motion for paternity and visitation in court - at which point he can also expect the court to order him to pay child support.