In brief
Morgan Geyser, 23, was found after disappearing from a group home in Wisconsin. She had previously been convicted of attempted homicide for her role in the 2014 stabbing of a classmate, which she claimed was to appease the online character Slender Man. After leaving the home and disabling her ankle monitor, authorities tracked her down in Illinois. Her attorney has urged her to turn herself in, emphasizing the need for accountability following her escape.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin woman involved in a controversial stabbing case related to the fictional horror figure Slender Man has been located after going missing from a group home. Morgan Geyser, now 23, reportedly cut off her electronic monitoring device and left the facility over the weekend. She was last seen in Wisconsin before being discovered at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, about 170 miles from Madison.Geyser was placed in the group home earlier this year after being conditionally released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Her legal troubles trace back to 2014, when she and her friend Anissa Weier lured their classmate Payton Leutner to a park and attacked her, intending to demonstrate their loyalty to Slender Man. Both girls were charged with attempted murder, Geyser pleading guilty in a deal to avoid prison time.Authorities issued an alert for Geyser the night she went missing after detecting that her monitoring device had malfunctioned. The Madison Police Department stated they were not notified until the following morning, when the group home notified them that she had removed the bracelet and was not present. Geyser's attorney has expressed concern regarding her well-being and urged her to return voluntarily.Weier was also convicted, receiving a sentence that allowed for her release in 2021. The case drew international attention to the impact of internet culture and the phenomenon of online narratives influencing real-life behavior.