Morgan Geyser’s future remains in limbo more than seven months after a Waukesha County judge approved her conditional release from a state mental institution. The 23-year-old, whose name is forever tied to the 2014 Slender Man stabbing, has been unable to secure a group home willing to take her in, leaving her still at Winnebago Mental Health Institute while state officials search for alternatives.
The expectation was that Geyser would begin the next stage of her life on August 4, transitioning into a court-approved group home with treatment and supervision. Instead, the latest plan collapsed in late July, when a facility in Sun Prairie withdrew its offer to accept her. It was the third such setback since January, when Judge Michael Bohren granted her release after years of petitions.
Her attorney, Tony Cotton, described the process as frustratingly fragile. One facility in Milwaukee was scrapped because it was deemed too close to Payton Leutner, the victim who survived Geyser’s attack more than a decade ago. Another, in Manitowoc, was rejected for being too isolated and without other residents. The third, in Sun Prairie, backed away after the placement became public knowledge and neighbors raised objections. “Basically, the last facility rejected her after the placement became known,” Cotton told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The failed attempts underscore the delicate balance between legal decisions and community resistance. On paper, Geyser’s conditional release is settled. She has been approved to continue treatment outside the walls of Winnebago, provided she stays on medication for a psychotic spectrum disorder and lives under supervision. In practice, though, finding a community that will accept her has proven far harder than persuading a court.
The case has always been extraordinary. In 2017, after prosecutors revealed that Geyser believed they were carrying out a tribute to the fictional creepypasta character Slenderman by stabbing Leutner in a Waukesha park, Geyser was placed under a 40 year commitment order. Her co-defendant, Anissa Weier, was released to a group home in 2021 and freed from electronic monitoring in 2023.
For now, Geyser remains at Winnebago, waiting. Cotton says she has handled the disappointments with composure. “Morgan continues to hold up well and maintain a positive attitude and stability despite these unfortunate setbacks,” he said. But until a new placement is found, the next chapter of her life remains stalled—caught between a court order and the fears of the communities asked to accept her.
