WISCONSIN – Morgan Geyser, the woman convicted in the notorious 2014 “Slender Man” stabbing case, has disappeared after removing her court-ordered monitoring device and fleeing a group home Saturday.
Geyser, 23, was discovered missing from her Wisconsin residential treatment facility after cutting off her Department of Corrections ankle bracelet. Authorities launched an immediate search for the woman who gained international notoriety as a 12-year-old when she and a friend lured a classmate into the woods and stabbed her 19 times.
The 2014 attack shocked the nation when details emerged about the motivation behind the brutal assault. Geyser and accomplice Anissa Weier claimed they committed the crime to appease “Slenderman,” a fictional internet character, believing their families would be harmed if they refused to carry out the attack. The victim miraculously survived despite being left for dead in the woods following the sleepover birthday party.
Both girls were found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Weier was released from a mental institution in 2021 after completing her treatment. Geyser remained institutionalized but filed multiple petitions seeking release over the years.
In March of this year, a judge granted Geyser conditional release from the mental health facility where she had been held since the attack. However, a Sun Prairie group home rescinded its offer to house her in July due to intense negative publicity surrounding her case.
Geyser was eventually placed in a different group home this fall for treatment of a psychotic spectrum disorder. The court sealed information regarding the facility’s location to protect both Geyser and the community.
The circumstances of her disappearance raise concerns about public safety and the effectiveness of monitoring systems for conditionally released individuals. Geyser’s attorney declined to comment when contacted about the escape, stating: “No, I haven’t heard anything about it.”
Law enforcement officials are actively searching for Geyser and urge anyone with information about her whereabouts to contact 911 immediately. The case has reignited debates about the treatment and release of juvenile offenders found not guilty by reason of mental disease.
The original victim, whose identity has been protected due to her age at the time of the attack, had to endure 19 stab wounds and a long recovery process following the 2014 incident.
