One of the individuals convicted for the notorious 2014 Slender Man stabbing has been located and taken into custody after absconding from a group home over the weekend, police have confirmed.
Disappearance and Apprehension
Morgan Geyser, who was conditionally released earlier this year, deliberately cut off her electronic monitoring bracelet and fled from a group home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The incident occurred at approximately 8 p.m. on Saturday, and she was reportedly in the company of an adult acquaintance.
Authorities later located the 23-year-old with another individual at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, which is situated more than 170 miles from the group home she had left. The Madison Police Department confirmed they received notification at 10:34 p.m. on Sunday that Illinois law enforcement had successfully detained Geyser.
Background of a Notorious Case
Geyser was residing in the group home to continue treatment for a psychotic spectrum disorder. Her placement there followed years of mental confinement stemming from the 2014 attack.
In a case that captured global attention, Geyser and her co-defendant, Anissa Weier, both aged 12 at the time, lured their friend Payton Leutner, also 12, into a wooded area in Waukesha. There, they stabbed her 19 times. The pair claimed they carried out the vicious assault to appease the fictional online horror character, Slender Man.
During the attack, the girls forced Leutner to lie on the ground. Geyser used a kitchen knife she had brought from home to repeatedly stab their victim while Weier encouraged her. Medical professionals who treated Leutner stated she only just survived her extensive injuries.
Community Concern and Legal Aftermath
The news of Geyser's placement in the Sun Prairie community and her subsequent disappearance has stirred significant unease among local residents. One anonymous resident voiced frustration to local media, stating, "I felt like this was done without resident knowledge."
Another expressed a conflicted view, saying, "I think everyone deserves a chance to get into society and live their life. But we also deserve the knowledge of, hey, maybe take a second look. You know, when you lock your doors at night." Neighbours also noted a delay, pointing out that Geyser was missing by 8 p.m. on Saturday, but Madison police were not notified until Sunday morning.
In 2017, both Geyser and Weier were found not guilty by reason of mental defect and sentenced to institutional confinement. Weier received a 25-year commitment order and was conditionally released in 2021. Geyser was sentenced to 40 years of mental confinement. After spending seven years in a psychiatric hospital in Oshkosh, she was moved to the group home this year following expert testimony that she had made progress in managing her mental illness. Her conditional release mandated she remain under state supervision with a GPS monitor.
