Morgan Geyser, a perpetrator in the 2014 "Slender Man stabbing" incident, was apprehended near Chicago on Sunday, November 26, 2023. This occurred a day after she removed her ankle monitor and departed from her assigned group home in Wisconsin.
Disappearance and Search
Geyser was reported missing on Saturday night following a notification that her GPS monitoring bracelet was malfunctioning. Correctional officials were informed by the group home that she was not present and had removed her bracelet. The Madison Police Department stated they were not informed of her disappearance until Sunday morning, nearly 12 hours later. During the search, Geyser's attorney, Tony Cotton, posted a video urging her to surrender.
Recapture Details
Geyser was located Sunday night in Posen, Illinois, approximately 165 miles from Madison and 20 miles south of Chicago. Posen Police Department officers responded to a report of individuals loitering behind a truck stop, where they found Geyser and a male companion sleeping on the sidewalk. Geyser initially refused to provide her name and offered a false one. Upon further questioning, she stated she did not want to identify herself because she had "done something really bad" and suggested officers "just Google" her name. After providing her true identity, officers confirmed she was wanted in Wisconsin for escape.
Geyser, now 23, and the unnamed male were taken into custody without incident. Attorney Tony Cotton informed NPR that it remains unclear whether Geyser left the group home voluntarily or if "something more nefarious took place such as abduction." Cotton also expressed concerns about Geyser's ability to navigate new relationships.
Background of the Slender Man Stabbing Case
Geyser had moved into the Madison group home in Fall 2023, following seven years in a psychiatric facility. Her release was approved by a judge over a decade after the 2014 incident where she and Anissa Weier lured classmate Payton Leutner into woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin. The girls, all 12 at the time, stabbed Leutner 19 times to appease the fictional character Slender Man.
Leutner survived the attack after crawling out of the woods and receiving emergency surgery. One stab wound reportedly missed a major artery by less than a millimeter.
Geyser and Weier were tried as adults and found guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in 2017. They were committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute; Weier for 25 years and Geyser for 40 years. Weier was released in 2021.
Geyser's Release Process
Geyser had sought release four times in the two years prior, with her most recent appeal in October 2023. A judge approved her conditional release in January 2024 after three experts testified about her mental health treatment progress. However, legal and logistical issues delayed her move for over six months.
Officials with Wisconsin's health department initially opposed Geyser's release, citing concerns about her reading habits and communications with a collector of murder memorabilia. Prosecutors also objected to an initial release plan due to the proposed group home's proximity (eight miles) to Leutner's residence. A revised plan was approved in July, but placements at three different group homes were unsuccessful due to various factors, including public feedback. Geyser was ultimately placed in a court-sealed group home in late October, disappearing less than a month later.