Morgan Geyser, who became notorious for her role in the 2014 "Slender Man" stabbing case, was apprehended Sunday night after fleeing a group home in Wisconsin, authorities announced. Geyser, now 23, was last seen on surveillance in Madison with an adult acquaintance before her disappearance, according to ABC News. She was discovered sleeping on the ground with a man at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, late that Sunday, about 170 miles from where she was reported missing.
Found after she cut her electronic monitoring device off, Geyser was placed into custody and is set for extradition to Cook County Jail, according to quotes from the Posen Police Department to NBC Chicago. The device malfunction, which triggered an alert to the state Department of Corrections, didn't lead to the immediate awareness of Madison Police until nearly 12 hours after she absconded from the group home where she lived. In a statement obtained by NBC Chicago, Madison police said the Department of Corrections contacted the group home around two hours after receiving the monitoring alert, and Geyser had already removed the bracelet and was not present.
Geyser's name has been synonymous with the "Slender Man" case, where she and another classmate, Anissa Weier, lured their 12-year-old classmate Payton Leutner into the woods and attacked her to curry favor with the fictional character—a disturbing act derived from internet lore. Although Geyser pled guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide, she was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and was committed to a psychiatric institution before her conditional release this year to a group home. NBC Chicago reports that Geyser had been living in the group home since being released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute earlier this year.
Moments after the news of her capture spread, Morgan's attorney, Tony Cotton, pleaded for her to surrender in a video on Instagram, maintaining it was "in her best interest" to do so. Meanwhile, the family of the victim stated to NBC Chicago, "Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety." The family extended their gratitude towards law enforcement and the support from community members during this unsettling time.
The unclear circumstances of Geyser's actions and her discovery with an unidentified man at Thornton's truck stop add to the complexity of her case. The man found with Geyser was a 42-year-old charged with criminal trespass and obstructing identification and has since been released, but stayed at the police station, Posen police informed ABC News. Details of his involvement remain sparse as authorities have not released his name or other specifics. Geyser's subsequent extradition procedures bring her back into the legal system's fold, marking another chapter in a case that has long stirred debates on mental health, internet influence, and the criminal justice system's treatment of juvenile offenders.
