A Wisconsin woman, Morgan Geyser, who attempted to murder her sixth-grade classmate to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man, is facing the possibility of her release privileges being revoked. Geyser, now 23 years old, had been residing in a state psychiatric hospital for the past seven years after the violent incident that occurred in 2014. During that attack, Geyser, along with her friend Anissa Weier, lured their classmate Payton Leutner to a Waukesha park, where Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times in a gruesome effort to prove their loyalty to Slender Man.
On July 2023, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner approved a plan for Geyser’s release from the state psychiatric hospital, allowing her to transition to a group home in Madison while being monitored with GPS technology. However, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services opposed the release, expressing concerns over Geyser's trustworthiness. They asserted that Geyser could not be safely monitored in the community.
On November 22, 2023, Geyser cut off her GPS monitor and fled the state with a 43-year-old companion. The duo was apprehended the following day at a truck stop located roughly 170 miles south of Madison, in the outskirts of Chicago. In light of this incident, state health officials filed a sealed petition to Judge Wagner on November 25, requesting the revocation of Geyser's release privileges.
In response to the petition, Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, communicated with the judge, citing that Geyser had decided not to contest the allegations against her and had informed the prosecution of her decision. Cotton's letter did not provide further details, and he declined to comment when approached for additional information.
The unfolding events permit Judge Wagner to potentially return Geyser to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, which is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Notably, during the incident in 2014, Geyser and Weier had openly expressed to investigators that their intention behind the attack was to impress Slender Man, thereby ensuring the safety of their families and securing their positions as his servants.
While Weier received a conditional release in 2021 after being committed for 25 years, Geyser's original term was set for 40 years. Following their escape, Geyser's companion contacted WKOW-TV, explaining that they had met at church and had developed a friendship over the past month. According to this individual, Geyser decided to flee due to a fear that their group home would restrict their contact with one another.
Slender Man, the horror character that inspired the girls' actions, was created by Eric Knudsen in 2009. Initially designed as an enigmatic figure edited into ordinary images of children, Slender Man morphed into a widely recognized figure in contemporary folklore, inspiring video games, online stories, and even a 2018 movie.
