Morgan Geyser, one of the perpetrators from the infamous Slender Man stabbing in 2014, is back in custody after leading police on an interstate manhunt.
According to the Associated Press, authorities found Geyser, 23, sleeping outside a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, on Sunday, November 23, 2025. The Madison (Wisconsin) Police Department revealed that Geyser removed an electronic monitoring device and fled from a group home, prompting the search.
Geyser was granted release from a psychiatric facility in July 2025, more than a decade after conspiring with a friend to kill their sixth-grade classmate.
In May 2014, Geyser and Anissa Weier—both 12 at the time—lured their 12-year-old friend Payton Leutner into the woods following a birthday sleepover. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times using a knife, before the two left their injured friend to die. Leutner miraculously survived after crawling out of the woods for help.
Weier and Geyser later told investigators the attack was an attempted offering to the internet character Slender Man, whom they believed would kill their families otherwise. The details of the case shocked the community of Waukesha, Wisconsin, and drew national attention. HBO aired a documentary titled Beware the Slenderman about the incident in 2017.
Here’s what you need to know about the attack, Geyser’s capture, and where Weier and Leutner are now.
Editor’s note: According to a psychologist in the case, Geyser began using he/him pronouns and a separate name during treatment. However, this hasn’t been confirmed by Geyser, and any name change hasn’t been shared publicly. We are using Geyser’s birth name and she/her pronouns to reflect court records.
What Was the Slender Man Stabbing and Who Was Involved?
According to New York magazine, Weier, Geyser, and Leutner all began attending Horning Middle School in Waukesha in fall 2013. Weier and Geyser were socially isolated and found a lifeline in Leutner.
Around this time, a friend introduced Weier to Creepypasta, a horror fan site where users created fake encyclopedia entries and other testimonials about fictional monsters and supernatural beings as if they were real. One of those was Slender Man—a tall, faceless entity initially created for a Photoshop contest. The character’s lore expanded through more posts on the site, eventually including his “pattern” of abducting children.
Weier began to believe Slender Man actually existed, and Geyser additionally became obsessed with the character. She even believed she had private, telepathic conversations with Slender Man.
Weier told investigators that Geyser proposed the idea of killing Leutner to become proxies of Slender Man in late December 2013 or early January of the following year. Geyser said Weier was the architect of the plan: “She made it seem necessary, and I figured that if it was necessary, then I would,” Geyser explained. In any case, the preteens kept their plot a secret and didn’t act on it for months.
On May 30, 2014, the friends gathered to celebrate Geyser’s 12th birthday. It was a Friday night, and they went to a local roller skating rink before returning to Geyser’s house. They woke up in the morning, played dress-up, and ate breakfast before asking Geyser’s mother, Angie, if they could go outside to play. As Leutner walked ahead, Geyser secretly showed Weier the knife she had taken from his kitchen.
Minutes later, Geyser and Weier carried out their plan. After leaving Leutner, they washed up at a nearby Walmart and wandered around Waukesha for a few hours before police found them sitting in the grass near the interstate. They were planning to walk to Slender Man’s mansion, which they believed was hundreds of miles away in the Nicolet National Forest in northern Wisconsin.
According to The New York Times, Leutner, barely able to talk, was discovered by a cyclist who called for help. She was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Both Geyser and Weier were charged with attempted first-degree homicide. In March 2015, the judge assigned to the case rejected the argument they acted under a “kill or be killed” belief, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. This meant that, despite their young age, they would be tried in adult court.
Why Was Morgan Geyser Released from Psychiatric Care in 2025?
According to Rolling Stone, Geyser was diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia after being taken into custody. It was later revealed in court that her father, Matthew, had suffered from a similar illness as an adolescent. Geyser was transferred to a state mental hospital to receive treatment and, in August 2016, pleaded not guilty because of insanity.
But before she could go before a jury, Geyser reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty in September 2017. The plea deal stipulated she wouldn’t be held criminally liable and would continue treatment at a mental health facility. In February 2018, Judge Michael Bohren ordered the maximum commitment term of 40 years for Geyser, who was transferred to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
According to AP, Geyser petitioned for release four times starting in June 2022. Geyser withdrew the first two, and Bohren rejected the third in April 2024 after finding Geyser was still a threat to the public. But in January 2025, the judge granted Geyser’s conditional release after determining she had maximized treatment options. Three psychologists testified that Geyser made “impressive progress” over the previous six months and could relapse if she remained at the facility. “The longer [Geyser’s] there, at this point, the harder it’s going to be to re-integrate,” Dr. Ken Robbins said.
As part of release conditions finalized in July, Geyser was placed into a Madison group home. But on Saturday, November 22, Geyser’s ankle monitor began malfunctioning—sparking a search for her whereabouts. Geyser was found at the Illinois truck stop with an unidentified 42-year-old male, who was charged with criminal trespassing and obstructing identification and later released.
Geyser reportedly gave police a false identity before telling them she had “done something really bad” and suggesting they “just Google” her name. She was detained in Cook County Jail and is expected to appear in court Tuesday in Chicago.
Where Is Anissa Weier Now?
Weier, meanwhile, initially pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in September 2016. Just under a year later, she pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of attempted second-degree homicide. In September 2017, a jury found her not guilty by mental disease, and she was soon committed to 25 years at Winnebago.
But in July 2021, Bohren ruled that Weier no longer posed a substantial risk to herself or others and granted her conditional release from the facility. That September, the terms of Weier’s released were finalized. She was required to live with her father under around-the-clock GPS monitoring and the supervision of case managers until she turned 37.
On September 12, 2023, a judge removed the GPS stipulation, seemingly giving Weier a chance to begin rebuilding her life.
What Happened to Payton Leutner, the Slender Man Survivor?
According to ABC Action News in Tampa Bay, Florida, Leutner underwent extensive surgery to repair her heart, liver, stomach, and pancreas following the attack. She survived but was left with both physical scars—25 in total, according to her mother, Stacie—and emotional trauma. Leutner later revealed she slept with broken scissors under her pillow for protection.
In October 2019, Leutner gave her first interview about the incident to ABC News. She explained she didn’t think much of the hide-and-seek game they asked to play in the forest because she thought it was only a trick. “I didn’t feel anything, because my body was in shock,” she told journalist David Muir. “I got up and just walked until I hit a patch of grass where I could lay down…. I shouldn’t be alive. I really shouldn’t be after what happened.”
Leutner said she never wanted to see or talk to Geyser and Weier again but expressed sympathy for Geyser’s mother, Angie. “I’ve thought about what she’s going through and how hard it must be for her,” she said. “Morgan’s schizophrenic. There is nothing that she could have done to stop or control that. It was not her fault.”
As horrifying as her ordeal was, Leutner has said she found at least one positive: The experience gave her a clear plan for her life. “I wouldn’t think that someone who went through what I did would ever say that. But that’s truly how I feel. Without the whole situation, I wouldn’t be who I am,” she said.
Leutner has since graduated high school and has said she wants to pursue a career in the medical field. As of September 2021, she was a college sophomore and had a part-time job, according to the Associated Press.
Leutner’s family released a statement following the manhunt for Geyser. “Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety. The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement entities involved in the efforts to apprehend Morgan,” the statement said. “The Leutner family also wish to thank the outpouring of support from family, friends, and well-wishers who have contacted them during this difficult time.”
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
