Morgan Geyser, the woman who as a child stabbed a classmate to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man, is currently missing after cutting off her electronic monitoring bracelet.
Police in Madison, Wisconsin, issued a public alert on Sunday, confirming that Geyser, now an adult, is at large and her whereabouts are unknown. She was last seen around 8pm local time on Saturday in the company of an adult acquaintance.
The 2014 Attack and Its Aftermath
In 2014, when Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, were just 12 years old, they lured a classmate to a park in suburban Milwaukee following a sleepover. Authorities state that Geyser then stabbed the victim more than a dozen times while Weier encouraged her.
The victim, whose injuries were nearly fatal, barely survived the horrific assault. Both girls told investigators they carried out the attack to impress Slender Man, an online bogeyman. They believed they needed to become his servants and feared he would harm their families if they failed.
Geyser ultimately pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide as part of a deal with prosecutors to avoid a prison sentence. Instead, she was sentenced to 40 years in a psychiatric hospital.
Conditional Release and Current Situation
Earlier this year, Geyser had been moved to a group home after being granted conditional release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. This recent development was a significant step in her treatment programme.
Her lawyer, Tony Cotton, has stated he does not know what transpired leading to her disappearance. In a video posted on Instagram, he urgently appealed for Geyser to turn herself in. "It's in her best interest for her to turn herself in immediately and not continue with this course of action," Cotton said. "We don't know any of the facts about what happened or who might have assisted her."
The Madison Police Department has explicitly requested that anyone who sees Morgan Geyser should immediately call 911 and not approach her.
The Slender Man Phenomenon and Co-defendant
The Slender Man character was created online in 2009 and is depicted as a unnaturally tall, thin figure with elongated limbs. The mythos quickly evolved, spawning video games, online stories, and even a 2018 film.
Geyser's co-defendant, Anissa Weier, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. She was also committed to a mental health institution and was granted conditional release in 2021.
