Morgan Geyser, the 14-year-old girl convicted in the infamous 2014 ‘Slender Man’ stabbing case, has once again escaped from a facility meant to monitor her activities. Following a dramatic manhunt that spanned several states, Geyser was apprehended in Illinois after she managed to remove the GPS monitor tracking her movements from a group home in Wisconsin. This escape has reignited debates over the adequacy of mental health evaluations and the risk of releasing individuals with documented histories of violent behavior.
At the time of the original incident in 2014, Geyser and Anissa Weier, then both 12 years old, were accused of brutally stabbing their classmate Payton Leutner in an attempt to appease the fictional horror character Slender Man. The attack, which resulted in Leutner’s survival but prolonged hospitalization, sparked national attention and raised questions about the influence of internet myths on impressionable youth. Geyser was found guilty and sentenced to 40 years in a psychiatric facility in 2018, after being diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Following extensive evaluations, a Wisconsin judge determined that Geyser was fit for release from the psychiatric facility and ordered her to reside in a group home in Madison. However, this decision was met with significant opposition from the prosecution, which argued that Geyser had not fully recovered from her mental illness and was still at risk for violent behavior.
Geyser’s escape from the group home came just over a year after her release, raising serious concerns about the monitoring and rehabilitation process for individuals with severe mental illnesses. The incident has further complicated the conversation around the balance between personal freedom and public safety, with experts emphasizing the need for more rigorous oversight in such cases.
Dr. Carole Lieberman, a forensic psychiatrist, has been vocal about the potential dangers of releasing individuals like Geyser, stating that such decisions require careful reconsideration, especially when there are clear warning signs of ongoing psychological distress. Leutner, the victim of the original attack, has also expressed her fear and trauma, highlighting the long-term emotional impact of the incident on the survivor.
Authorities continue to seek further information to determine the exact reasons behind Geyser’s escape and whether this will result in the revocation of her conditional release. Meanwhile, the community remains focused on the broader implications of the case, including the responsibility of mental health institutions and the ongoing search for better ways to protect both the public and those who require psychological care.