Wisconsin Woman Linked to Slender Man Stabbing Apprehended After Group Home Departure

A Wisconsin woman, now 23, who was involved in a near-fatal stabbing incident purportedly influenced by the fictional entity Slender Man over a decade ago, has been found in Illinois following her escape from her residential group facility.

Morgan Geyser was apprehended at a truck depot located in Posen, Illinois, police from Posen have verified. This place is situated roughly 25 miles to the south of Chicago and about 170 miles away from Madison.

Accompanying Geyser at the time was a 42-year-old man, who faced charges related to unlawful entry and providing false identification. He has been released from detention.

Authorities last documented Geyser's sighting around 8 p.m. on a Saturday, where she was with an adult companion, according to city representatives.

Reports from Madison Police disclosed that they hadn't been informed of Geyser's disappearance until nearly half a day after her absence from the group setting. The Department of Corrections received a signal alerting them to an issue with Geyser's ankle bracelet on Saturday night. Two hours later, when contacting the group home, they discovered her absence and the removed device.

A recent photo of Geyser, recorded via security cameras, was circulated by the police.

Following her stint at Winnebago Mental Health Institute—where she spent seven years—Geyser transitioned to group home living earlier this year, upon assurances from three mental health experts of her progress in addressing her psychiatric challenges.

Back in 2014, Geyser, alongside Anissa Weier, carried out a harrowing attack on their peer, Payton Leutner. During the assault, Geyser inflicted 19 stab wounds while Weier urged her on. The trio were merely 12 years old at the time.

Post-attack, Geyser and Weier were taken into custody while traversing Interstate 94. They disclosed to investigators that they believed the attack would grant them favor with Slender Man, fearing repercussions against their families should they fail to act. The pair initially plotted to journey to Slender Man's supposed abode in Wisconsin's wilderness.

Though Leutner narrowly escaped with her life, Geyser had admitted to the charge of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in 2017. However, she contended with mental illness as a defensive reason, prompting Judge Michael Bohren to sentence her to a mental health facility for four decades.

Weier, in 2017, entered a guilty plea for second-degree attempted intentional homicide involving a weapon, paralleling Geyser's claim of mental incompetence. Eventually, she received a 25-year psychiatric care sentence, yet was granted conditional release in 2021 under terms to reside with her father and maintain a GPS tracking monitor.