A man accused of assisting a Wisconsin woman in her escape from a group home over the weekend has come forward to explain the motivations behind their actions. He claims that the woman’s decision to flee was driven by the impending suspension of her visitation rights.

Chad “Charly” Mecca, 43, spoke to WKOW about his connection to Morgan Geyser, 23, whom he had met several months prior at a church. According to Mecca, Geyser was determined to leave her group home because the staff was planning to end his visits, which had become important to her.

“She ran because of me,” Mecca candidly stated in his interview with WKOW, pointing to their shared decision to leave in an effort to protect Geyser.

The pair reportedly boarded a bus heading to Cook County, Illinois, with the belief that it would be a safer option for Geyser. However, their brief escape came to an end when authorities discovered them the next day. They were found asleep on a sidewalk after police in Posen, Illinois, responded to reports of two individuals loitering behind a building.

When approached by the officers, Geyser allegedly attempted to conceal her identity by providing a false name. She eventually admitted to withholding her real name, citing that she had “done something really bad.” At one point, Geyser reportedly suggested that the officers could “just Google” her to uncover her identity.

Geyser allegedly gave officers a false name before saying she did not want to disclose her identity because she had “done something really bad.” At some point, Geyser reportedly suggested officers could “just Google” her.

Mecca allegedly also gave a false identity to police.

Posen police Chief William Alexander told WLS that Geyser asked to say a “final goodbye” to Mecca, presumably because she knew she would never see him again.

Geyser was 12 in 2014 when she and Anissa Weier nearly stabbed a female classmate to death. After a sleepover celebrating Geyser’s 12th birthday, she and Weier lured the classmate to the woods  — where they stabbed her 19 times and left her for dead.

The girls claimed they carried out the attack to appease “Slender Man,” an internet meme. They also said they believed their families would be harmed if they did not attack their classmate, who survived.

Geyser and Weier were found not guilty due to mental disease or defect. Weier was released from a mental institution in 2021. Geyser remained institutionalized despite seeking her release on four occasions.

However, in March, a judge granted Geyer’s petition for conditional release. In July, a Sun Prairie group home rescinded its offer to take in Geyser as a resident. Geyser’s attorney said it was due to negative publicity.

This fall, Geyser was moved to a group home to undergo treatment for a psychotic spectrum disorder, though the court sealed details about the facility’s location.

The Wisconsin Department of Corrections reportedly contacted the group home two hours after Geyser’s ankle monitor malfunctioned on Saturday. It was then that officials learned from the group home that Geyser had vanished.

However, Madison police stated that they did not become aware of Geyser’s disappearance until Sunday morning, when someone from the group home contacted them.

Mecca was charged with criminal trespassing and obstructing identification, as he also lied about his identity. He has since been released from custody.

Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese said if a motion was filed against Geyser, she could be placed back in an institution or a hospital, rather than a group home.

Boese said the Dane County District Attorney’s Office will decide whether to file a motion against Geyser, 23, for removing her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and leaving her group home in Madison.

Geyser, who remains in custody, is awaiting extradition. Prosecutors in Dane County, Wisconsin, said Madison police have to yet to refer the case to them.

[Feature Photo: Handout]