MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Morgan Geyser, a Wisconsin woman who gained notoriety for her role in the tragic Slender Man stabbing at 12 years old, has been located in Posen, Illinois after escaping a group home. Authorities revealed that she cut off her electronic monitoring device and left the facility without notice.
The Madison police issued a missing person alert for Geyser, now 23, on Sunday after she was last seen late Saturday night with an acquaintance. She was taken into custody on Monday at a truck stop around 25 miles south of Chicago.
Geyser had been placed in a group home following her conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where she had been since 2018 after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide. The infamous stabbing incident occurred in 2014, where Geyser, along with Anissa Weier, lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, under the influence of the fictional horror character, Slender Man.
Leutner suffered severe injuries but miraculously survived, leading to the girls’ highly publicized legal cases. Geyser's attorney has called for her to turn herself in as officials continue to investigate the circumstances of her escape.
Following the incident, the Department of Corrections issued an apprehension request early Sunday morning but was not informed of Geyser's absence until several hours later, leading to criticism of the communication protocols regarding her monitoring.
The Slender Man character was created online around 2009 and captured the imagination of many, evolving into an iconic figure associated with horror stories and films. This case remains a stark reminder of the unsettling influence of internet culture on vulnerable youths.
