A Wisconsin woman, Morgan Geyser, was ordered back to a psychiatric hospital after escaping from a group home, raising concerns about her mental health management. On November 22, 2023, a Waukesha County Circuit Court judge found Geyser’s escape serious enough to revoke her release privileges, which had been granted just two months earlier.
During a brief hearing, Judge K. Scott Wagner approved a request from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to return Geyser to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Geyser, now 23 years old, did not contest the revocation through her attorney, Tony Cotton. Following the hearing, Cotton did not provide any comments when contacted.
The case dates back to 2014 when Geyser, along with her friend Anissa Weier, lured their sixth-grade classmate, Payton Leutner, to a park in Waukesha. In a disturbing act, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier encouraged her. A passerby discovered Leutner, who narrowly survived the attack. At that time, all three girls were only 12 years old.
Geyser and Weier later explained to investigators that they believed committing the attack would impress the fictional horror character known as Slender Man, leading him to make them his servants and spare their families from harm. Following the incident, both girls were committed to mental health facilities—Geyser for a period of 40 years and Weier for 25 years. Weier was granted conditional release in 2021, while Geyser was released under conditions this past September despite warnings from health officials regarding her trustworthiness.
Authorities report that Geyser’s escape occurred when she cut off her GPS monitoring device and left the state with a 43-year-old companion. The pair were apprehended the following day at a truck stop outside Chicago, approximately 170 miles (274 kilometers) from Madison. The companion stated in an interview that the two had developed a friendship through church and had been spending time together daily. Geyser reportedly fled because she feared losing the ability to see this person if she remained in the group home.
The legend of Slender Man originated in 2009 when Eric Knudsen created the character, which quickly gained notoriety through online stories, video games, and a 2018 film. This case continues to capture public attention, drawing scrutiny to the challenges of managing mental health issues in individuals who have committed severe crimes at a young age.
