Morgan Geyser, cut her GPS and fled with a companion, is facing state officials who seek to revoke her release after a 2014 stabbing linked to Slender Man.
Release and Flight
In July, Waukesha County Circuit Judge Scott Wagner approved a plan to release 23-year-old Morgan Geyser from a state psychiatric hospital where she had spent seven years. The plan would place her in a Madison group home under GPS monitoring.
Authorities say Geyser cut her GPS monitor on Nov. 22 and fled the state with a 43-year-old companion. Police arrested the pair the following day at a truck stop outside Chicago, about 170 miles south of Madison.
Legal Proceedings
On Nov. 25, the state Department of Health Services filed a sealed petition with Judge Wagner requesting the revocation of Geyser’s release privileges. Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, sent a letter to the judge on Tuesday stating that he had discussed the allegations in detail with her and that she had decided to contest the petition. Cotton also informed prosecutors but declined to comment further.
The petition’s approval would allow Wagner to send Geyser back to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, which is operated by the Department of Health Services.
Background of the 2014 Attack
Geyser and her friend Anissa Weier lured classmate Payton Leutner to a Waukesha park in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times, narrowly missing her heart, while Weier cheered. All three girls were 12 years old at the time.
The girls told investigators they carried out the attack to impress Slender Man and earn the right to serve him, hoping to protect their families. Both were eventually committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute-Geyser for 40 years and Weier for 25 years. Weier earned conditional release in 2021.
Geyser’s companion told WKOW-TV the day after their arrest that the two had become friends at church and seen each other daily for a month. She said Geyser fled because she feared the group home would no longer allow them to see each other.
Slender Man, created online by Eric Knudsen in 2009, evolved into a popular boogeyman featured in video games, online stories and a 2018 movie.
Key Takeaways
- Geyser cut her GPS and fled with a companion after a 2014 stabbing.
- State officials seek to revoke her release after a petition filed Nov. 25.
- The case is tied to a 2014 attack motivated by Slender Man.
The decision to revoke Geyser’s release privileges will likely result in her return to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where she has been held for seven years.
