MUSKEGO, WI – A Wisconsin man is facing reckless homicide and hit-and-run charges after allegedly fleeing a crash that left his 77-year-old mother trapped and fatally injured in the vehicle.
Casey Yiannackopoulos crashed his vehicle in Muskego on a Sunday evening, leaving his elderly mother unconscious and trapped inside the car. Instead of seeking help, witnesses reported seeing the driver stagger from the vehicle and flee the scene.
First responders arrived to find the 77-year-old woman critically injured. She was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead from injuries sustained in the crash.
According to witness accounts, Yiannackopoulos initially claimed he would seek assistance after the crash. However, he instead returned to the house he shared with his mother, located just one block from the crash site, and concealed himself in the crawl space.
Law enforcement officers spent approximately four hours searching for Yiannackopoulos before discovering his hiding place. Police employed a taser and a police dog to extract him from the crawl space where he had been hiding since the crash.
During his court appearance, Commissioner Daniel Rieck delivered a scathing rebuke of the defendant’s actions. “Leaving her to die. Why? Because you didn’t want to get in trouble,” Rieck said, characterizing Yiannackopoulos’ behavior as demonstrating depravity.
The suspect declined to submit to field sobriety testing at the scene. Blood test results that could confirm whether he was driving under the influence remain pending as the investigation continues.
According to the criminal complaint, Yiannackopoulos later suggested to investigators that he would have been “way more cooperative” had he known his mother’s fate. The statement drew sharp criticism from prosecutors and the court.
Prosecutors requested bail be set at $250,000 given the severity of the charges and the defendant’s attempts to evade arrest. However, Commissioner Rieck tripled that amount, setting bail at $750,000, citing the egregious nature of leaving an injured family member to die.
The charges of reckless homicide and hit-and-run carry significant prison time if convicted. Wisconsin law treats vehicular homicide cases particularly seriously when the driver flees the scene rather than rendering aid.
The case has shocked the Muskego community, a suburban city located southwest of Milwaukee. Residents expressed disbelief that someone would abandon their own mother in such dire circumstances.
Yiannackopoulos is scheduled to return to court Thursday for a preliminary hearing. Prosecutors are expected to present additional evidence about the crash and the defendant’s actions in the hours that followed.
The victim’s identity has not been publicly released by authorities pending notification of all family members. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause and manner of death.
