Woman in Notorious Slender Man Stabbing Apprehended After Escape
A Wisconsin woman, whose childhood attempt to appease a fictional horror character shocked the world, has been located by authorities after she absconded from a community group home. Morgan Geyser, now 23, was taken into custody at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, after she cut off her electronic monitoring bracelet and disappeared.
A Chilling Crime Revisited
The case dates back to 2014, when Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, were both just 12 years old. The pair lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, to a park in suburban Milwaukee after a sleepover. In a brutal attack that captured international headlines, Geyser stabbed Leutner more than a dozen times while Weier encouraged her. Miraculously, Leutner survived her injuries.
The girls later confessed to investigators that they carried out the violent assault to prove themselves worthy of becoming servants to the online horror character Slender Man. They expressed fear that the fictional entity would harm their families if they did not follow through with their plan.
Breakdown of a Manhunt
Geyser’s disappearance began on Saturday night. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections received an alert that her ankle monitor had malfunctioned. When officials contacted the group home about two hours later, they were informed that Geyser was not present and had removed the tracking device entirely.
An apprehension request was issued just after midnight. However, a significant delay occurred as the Madison Police Department stated it was not notified that Geyser was missing until nearly 12 hours after she had left, when a staff member from the group home called the next morning.
Madison police had issued a public alert on Sunday, stating Geyser was last seen on Saturday evening with an adult acquaintance. The department provided an update late on Sunday, confirming she had been located and taken into custody in Illinois. The Posen Police Department confirmed her discovery early on Monday. Posen is approximately 25 miles south of Chicago and about 170 miles from Madison.
Legal and Mental Health Journey
Geyser had been placed in the group home this year after being granted a conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. She was originally sent to the psychiatric facility in 2018 after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide in a deal with prosecutors that allowed her to avoid a prison sentence.
Her attorney, Tony Cotton, said on Sunday that he was unaware of what had transpired with his client and had urged her to turn herself in.
Her accomplice, Anissa Weier, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. She was also committed to the psychiatric centre and was granted release in 2021.
The Slender Man character was originally created online in 2009 by Eric Knudson as a mysterious figure digitally inserted into pictures of children. The legend grew into a popular modern myth, featuring in video games, online stories, and a 2018 film.
