MADISON, WI – Morgan Geyser, one of two Wisconsin girls who stabbed a classmate 19 times in 2014 to appease the fictional internet character Slender Man, was captured by police after fleeing a group home where she was receiving treatment.
Geyser, now 22, escaped from the facility over the weekend. Authorities launched an immediate search and located her a short time later, taking her into custody without incident. Bodycam footage released by police shows officers apprehending Geyser, who cooperated with authorities during the arrest.
According to reports, Geyser left the group home because she was losing visitation privileges. The specific circumstances that led to the loss of those privileges have not been disclosed.
The case that made Geyser infamous shocked the nation more than a decade ago. In May 2014, when she was just 12 years old, Geyser and another girl, Anissa Weier, lured their 12-year-old classmate Payton Leutner into the woods near Waukesha, Wisconsin, and stabbed her 19 times. Leutner survived the attack by crawling to a road where a passing cyclist found her.
Both girls told investigators they committed the attack to prove their devotion to Slender Man, a tall, faceless figure that originated as an internet meme. They believed harming someone would earn them favor with the character and allow them to live with him in his mansion in a forest.
Geyser was found not guilty by reason of mental disease and committed to a state psychiatric institution. She was released in 2022 after spending several years in treatment and was placed in a group home setting with conditions monitoring her progress.
Her escape and capture raise questions about the level of supervision she has been receiving. Authorities have not indicated whether she will face additional charges or be returned to a more secure facility.
The Slender Man case remains one of the most disturbing examples of internet influence on young minds in recent memory.
