Slender Man Stabber Morgan Geyser Recaptured Near Chicago After Fleeing Group Home

High-Profile Fugitive Morgan Geyser Apprehended After Cutting Ankle Monitor

Morgan Geyser, one of the two individuals responsible for the notorious 2014 “Slender Man stabbing” in Wisconsin, was taken back into custody near Chicago on Sunday, November 23, 2025. The apprehension followed a brief but high-profile search after Geyser fled her supervised group home in Wisconsin the previous day, Saturday, November 22, 2025, by removing her electronic monitoring device.

Geyser’s escape immediately drew national attention, given the severity and bizarre nature of the original crime that shocked the nation nearly a decade ago. Her recapture brings a swift end to the search and raises immediate questions about the security protocols surrounding her conditional release and placement in a less restrictive environment.

Details of the Escape and Recapture

Authorities confirmed that Geyser, who was 12 at the time of the 2014 attack, had been residing in a group home facility in Wisconsin as part of her conditional release from institutional commitment. The facility represented a significant step down from the maximum-security mental health institute where she had spent years.

According to reports from the local sheriff’s office, Geyser fled the facility on Saturday morning. Her departure was quickly flagged when staff realized she had cut off her ankle monitor, a violation of the strict terms of her conditional release. Law enforcement immediately issued a warrant for her arrest and began a coordinated search across state lines, focusing on areas where she might have sought refuge.

Geyser was located and taken into custody without incident near Chicago, Illinois, roughly 100 miles from the Waukesha, Wisconsin, area where the original crime occurred. The swift recapture was critical, as the public safety risk associated with a high-profile individual committed for attempted homicide was paramount.

The Terms of Conditional Release

Geyser’s conditional release, granted in late 2024, was contingent upon strict adherence to several conditions, including:

• Residency in a designated, supervised group home.
• Wearing a GPS electronic monitoring device at all times.
• Continued mandatory psychiatric treatment and counseling.
• No contact with her co-defendant or the victim, Payton Leutner.
• Abstaining from all drug and alcohol use.

The act of removing the ankle monitor constitutes a severe breach of these conditions, which will likely result in her immediate return to a secure, institutional setting, potentially the Winnebago Mental Health Institute.

The Slender Man Stabbing: A Decade of Context

To understand the gravity of Geyser’s escape, it is essential to recall the details of the 2014 crime that captivated and horrified the world. The incident involved Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, both 12 years old at the time, luring their classmate, Payton Leutner, into a wooded area in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and stabbing her 19 times.

The motive behind the attack was rooted in a shared delusion: the girls believed they needed to sacrifice Leutner to appease the fictional horror character known as Slender Man. They believed the entity was real and that the act of violence would grant them protection and allow them to become proxies for the creature.

Legal Outcome and Commitment

Due to their age and the findings of psychiatric evaluations, both Geyser and Weier were tried as adults but ultimately found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect (NGI). This legal distinction meant they were committed to mental health institutions for treatment, not incarcerated in traditional prisons.

Geyser, diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia, received the longer commitment term. The court’s decision was based on the premise that she posed a greater risk and required more extensive long-term treatment.

Implications of the Escape

Geyser’s escape, though brief, has significant legal and public policy implications, particularly regarding the balance between rehabilitation and public safety in high-profile mental health commitment cases.

Return to Secure Facility

Because Geyser violated the core condition of her release—the electronic monitoring—she is highly likely to be returned immediately to a more restrictive setting, such as the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. The court will need to hold a hearing to determine if she should remain in the group home setting or if the escape demonstrates that she is not yet ready for conditional release.

This incident reinforces the arguments made by those who opposed her initial conditional release, including the victim’s family and some prosecutors, who maintained that the risk of reoffending or flight was too high.

Scrutiny on the System

The incident places intense scrutiny on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and the specific group home facility. Questions will be raised about:

1. Supervision Levels: Were the staffing and security measures at the group home adequate for an individual committed for attempted homicide?
2. Risk Assessment: Was the risk assessment that led to her conditional release accurate, given her ability to quickly remove the monitor and flee the state?
3. Monitoring Technology: How quickly was the breach detected, and what measures are in place to prevent the physical removal of the electronic device?

The court’s decision to grant conditional release is always based on expert testimony suggesting the individual no longer poses a significant danger to themselves or others. An escape of this nature severely undermines that finding and will make future conditional releases for high-profile committed individuals much more difficult to achieve.

Key Takeaways

This rapid sequence of events—the escape and subsequent recapture of Morgan Geyser—reiterates the ongoing complexity and public sensitivity surrounding the Slender Man case and mental health commitments:

• Recapture Confirmed: Geyser was found near Chicago on Sunday, November 23, 2025, less than 48 hours after fleeing her Wisconsin group home.
• Violation: She breached her conditional release terms by cutting off her required electronic ankle monitor.
• Legal Consequence: Geyser faces an immediate return to a secure, high-level mental health institution, likely the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, pending a court review of her commitment status.
• Public Safety: The incident highlights the inherent risks involved in transitioning individuals committed for violent crimes from maximum security to less restrictive community settings.
• Original Crime: Geyser was committed for up to 40 years after being found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect in the 2014 Slender Man stabbing of Payton Leutner.

What’s Next

Following her return to Wisconsin, Geyser will be held in custody pending a court hearing. This hearing will be crucial, as the judge must determine if her flight demonstrates that she is still a danger to the community or herself, or if she can be safely returned to a community-based setting under even stricter supervision. Given the high-profile nature of the case and the severity of the violation, legal experts anticipate that she will remain in a secure institutional setting for the foreseeable future, potentially reversing the progress toward rehabilitation that her conditional release was meant to signify.