The Slender Man Case Haunts Us Again: Morgan Geyser Disappears from Mental Health Facility

The name Morgan Geyser, for many, sends an immediate shiver down the spine. It's intrinsically linked to one of the most bizarre and disturbing crimes in recent memory: the 2014 Slender Man stabbing. Now, more than a decade after that horrific event, Geyser, who was committed to a mental health facility for her role in the attack, has gone missing. It's a development that, frankly, reignites a very specific kind of unease, pulling us right back into the unsettling narrative of a crime that gripped a nation.

Authorities in Wisconsin confirmed on Saturday, November 23, 2025, that the now 23-year-old Morgan Geyser "eloped" – a term often used for patients leaving without permission – from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh. She was last seen at approximately 5:30 p.m. the previous day, Friday, November 22. The news, understandably, has sparked a considerable search effort and a renewed wave of public concern, as people recall the dark circumstances that first brought Geyser into the spotlight.

For those who might need a refresher, or perhaps weren't following the news back then, the original crime was truly shocking. In May 2014, Geyser and her friend, Anissa Weier, both just 12 years old at the time, lured their classmate, Payton Leutner, into the woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin. There, they stabbed her 19 times, believing they needed to sacrifice her to appease the fictional internet character known as Slender Man. It was a brutal act, fueled by a deeply disturbing delusion, yet miraculously, Payton Leutner survived after crawling out of the woods and being found by a passing bicyclist.

The ensuing legal battles were complex and heartbreaking. Geyser was ultimately diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia, a severe mental illness. She was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and, in 2017, committed to a state mental institution for a maximum of 40 years. Her accomplice, Anissa Weier, received a similar verdict but was committed for a shorter 25-year period, eventually gaining conditional release in 2021. Geyser, on the other hand, had her own appeals for conditional release denied in both 2022 and 2023, meaning she was expected to remain in treatment.

This latest development, her disappearance, is therefore particularly troubling. The police describe Geyser as being 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighing around 130 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. When last seen, she was reportedly wearing a long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. While law enforcement has stated that she is not considered dangerous to the general public at this specific moment, the context of her past actions certainly looms large in the minds of many. The community, and indeed anyone familiar with the original Slender Man case, will be hoping for a swift and safe resolution to this deeply unsettling situation.