A chilling case resurfaced this weekend as Morgan Geyser, the Wisconsin woman who attempted to murder a classmate in 2014 to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man, went missing. Authorities confirmed she removed her electronic monitoring device and left a group home Saturday evening, prompting an immediate alert.
Geyser, now 23, was last seen with an unidentified adult acquaintance around 8 p.m. The Madison Police Department urged the public to contact 911 immediately if they spot her, emphasizing the seriousness of her unsupervised departure.
The horrifying events unfolded eight years ago when Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, were both twelve years old. They meticulously planned an attack on their classmate, Payton Leutner, luring her to a park under the guise of a sleepover.
What followed was a brutal assault. Geyser repeatedly stabbed Leutner over a dozen times while Weier encouraged her, leaving the young victim clinging to life. Miraculously, Leutner survived the attack, but the scars – both physical and emotional – remain.
The motive behind the violence was deeply disturbing. Both girls confessed to investigators that they believed sacrificing Leutner would prove their devotion to Slender Man, a terrifying internet creation. They feared that failing to comply would result in harm to their families.
Slender Man originated in 2009 as a simple online meme – a tall, faceless figure digitally inserted into photographs. However, the character quickly evolved into a widespread internet legend, inspiring countless stories, video games, and even a feature film.
Geyser was committed to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in 2018 after pleading guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide, avoiding a prison sentence through a plea deal. This year, she was granted conditional release and placed in a group home.
Anissa Weier also pleaded guilty to a lesser charge, attempted second-degree intentional homicide, and received treatment at the same psychiatric facility. She was released in 2021, raising questions about the long-term impact of their shared delusion and the challenges of reintegrating them into society.
The disappearance of Morgan Geyser reignites the unsettling questions surrounding the case: How could a fictional character inspire such extreme violence? And what does this say about the power of online mythology and its potential to influence vulnerable minds?
