The case surrounding a stabbing that became known nationwide as the “Slender Man stabbing” more than a decade ago took a new twist over the weekend.
One of the attackers who repeatedly stabbed and nearly killed her sixth-grade classmate, cut off her ankle monitor and escaped from the group home she was in in Madison, Wisconsin, leading to an hours-long search that Sunday night when police discovered her sleeping outside an Illinois truck stop.
But who is Slender Man and what led up to the surprising new developments in the case?
Here’s what to know:
What or who is ‘Slender Man’?
Slender Man was created online by Eric Knudson in 2009 as a mysterious figure photo-edited into everyday images of children at play. He grew into a popular boogeyman, appearing in video games, online stories and a 2018 movie.
What happened in the 2014 attack?
In 2014, Morgan Geyser, along with classmate Anissa Weier, lured then-12-year-old Payton Leutner to a wooded area near Waukesha, a suburb of Milwaukee, after a sleepover. While there, Geyser stabbed Leutner more than a dozen times while Weier egged her on.
Leutner, who was left for dead, was discovered by a passing bicyclist and taken to a hospital. She barely survived.
The girls later told investigators that they attacked Leutner to earn the right to be the fictional character Slender Man’s servants and they feared he’d harm their families if they didn’t follow through. According to prosecutors, the girls plotted the stabbing for months, and they told investigators they believed Slender Man had a mansion in a forest, and they planned to live with him after the attack.
What happened after the attack?
Weier pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. She was also sent to the psychiatric center and granted release in 2021.
Geyser was found not guilty by mental disease or defect and was committed to a mental health institution.
She was placed in a group home this year after being granted conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
Wisconsin law allows people who plead not guilty due to mental disease or defect to petition a judge for release from the institution where they’re being held every six months. Geyser petitioned four times for release before Waukesha County Judge Michael Bohren finally signed off in March.
Prosecutors opposed the release, alleging Geyser had been quietly reading gory novels and communicating with a man who collects memorabilia from murderers.
Deputy District Attorney Abbey Nickolie alleged during a hearing that Geyser didn’t tell her treatment team that she was reading novels about murder and the sale of human organs on the black market. She also didn’t inform the treatment team that she was communicating with a man who collects murder memorabilia, allowing him to visit her and sending him artwork of a “very violent nature,” Nickolie told the judge.
Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, countered that Geyser only reads books the facility makes available to her and hospital officials track all her communications. She told her treatment team about the books and communications when asked, he said, adding that she can’t have violated any conditions of release because conditions haven’t been set.
“Morgan is not more dangerous today,” Cotton said at the March court hearing.
The judge ultimately found that Geyser had maximized her treatment and, to be truly rehabilitated, needed to rejoin society.
How did Geyser escape?
The Madison Police Department said Sunday that Geyser, now 23, had cut off her electronic monitoring device and left her group home on the capital city’s west side. She was last seen around 8 p.m. Saturday with an adult acquaintance, the department said.
Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, posted an Instagram video Sunday saying he did not know what happened with his client, and had urged Geyser to turn herself in. In a statement sent to NBC Chicago Monday, Cotton said his “biggest fear” regarding Geyser’s release was “her ability to navigate new relationships, particularly with older men.”
“Right now we do not know the circumstances behind Morgan’s departure from the group home – namely whether she left voluntarily or whether something more nefarious took place such as an abduction,” Cotton’s statement said. We are glad that Morgan was found safely and returned to custody.”
“As I have said before, the biggest fear I had for Morgan upon her release from the mental hospital was her ability to navigate new relationships, particularly with older men who might not have her best interests in mind,” the statement went on to say. “I witnessed first hand during the 12 years that I represented Morgan how there were seemingly normal men who would find their way into her orbit and act in ways that were highly inappropriate.”
Where was she found?
Geyser was found at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, police said early Monday. Posen is about 25 miles south of Chicago and about 170 miles south of Madison.
Posen police posted a Facebook statement Monday morning saying Geyser was found after officers were dispatched to a Thornton’s Truck Stop, at 14840 Western Ave., for reports of a man and woman loitering behind the building. When officers arrived, they found Geyser and a man sleeping on the sidewalk.
Geyser initially gave officers a false name and repeatedly refused to provide her real name, the statement said. She finally told them that she didn’t want to tell them who she was because she had “done something really bad” and suggested they could “just Google” her. Officers took her and the man into custody without incident.
Who was the man arrested with Geyser?
The 42-year-old man she was with was charged with criminal trespassing and obstructing identification, Posen police said. He has since been released from custody.
What did the victim’s family say?
Steve Lyons, a spokesperson for the Leutner family, said in a statement Sunday that Payton Leutner was safe.
“Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety. The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement entities involved in the efforts to apprehend Morgan,” the statement said. “The Leutner family also wish to thank the outpouring of support from family, friends, and well-wishers who have contacted them during this difficult time.”
What happens next?
According to court records, Geyser appeared in court Monday in Markham. She was ordered to be detained in Cook County Jail, with an extradition hearing scheduled for Tuesday.
Waukesha County said if she extradited, she would likely return to their county, but any charging decisions will be made by Dane County.
A petition could also be filed to revoke her conditional release.
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