Chilling scenes out of Wisconsin: Morgan Geyser, the infamous ‘Slenderman’ attacker, has been yanked back into psychiatric custody after a dramatic escape that sent authorities scrambling. On Tuesday, Waukesha County Circuit Judge K. Scott Wagner stripped 23-year-old Geyser of her freedom, siding with health officials who argued she blew her second chance.
Geyser, via her lawyer Tony Cotton, conceded she wouldn’t contest the move and, in a brisk courtroom session, Judge Wagner made it official—she’s heading back to a secure state psychiatric facility. Cotton wasn’t available to comment.
Rewind to 2014, when Geyser and her then-best friend Anissa Weier shocked the nation with their horrific bid to win favor with Slenderman—a creepy internet myth. The two 12-year-olds lured fellow classmate Payton Leutner into a Waukesha park, where Geyser stabbed her a staggering 19 times as Weier egged her on. Leutner survived against all odds, saved by a passing cyclist.
The attackers later confessed their motive chillingly: they wanted to please Slenderman, a fictional entity they believed could harm their families if not appeased. Both girls were ordered to serve lengthy stays in the Winnebago Mental Health Institute—Geyser got 40 years, Weier 25.
Weier was conditionally released in 2021. Against state experts’ warnings, Judge Wagner also approved Geyser’s supervised release in September. She moved into a group home in Madison—but things quickly went sideways.
On November 22, officials say Geyser cut off her court-mandated GPS tracker and hit the road with a 43-year-old companion. The pair made it 170 miles south and were nabbed the very next day at an Illinois truck stop near Chicago.
Geyser’s companion, who claims the two met at church and bonded over daily meetings, told TV reporters that Morgan’s fear of being separated from her drove the escape.
For those who’ve forgotten, Slender Man was dreamed up in 2009 by Eric Knudsen and quickly became the internet’s favorite ghoul—spreading through games, forums, and even a 2018 movie. But for the people tangled in this chilling real-life ordeal, Slenderman’s shadow still looms large.
