MADISON, Wis. (Scripps News Milwaukee/Court TV) — Police say they have captured Morgan Geyser, hours after she allegedly cut off her ankle monitor and fled from her group home.
Police released this photo of Morgan Geyser after she allegedly cut off her ankle monitor. (Madison Police Dept.)
Geyser was 12 years old when she and Anissa Weier, also 12, lured a third classmate to the woods and stabbed her 19 times, nearly killing her. Both Geyser and Weier claimed they attacked the victim, Payton Leutner, to appease the fictional character Slender Man and were both found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect.
Weier was released from custody in 2021; Geyser was released in September following an extended process due to difficulties finding a suitable facility to meet her needs. Geyser was placed at a Sun Prairie group home, prompting area residents to raise concerns about its proximity to schools, daycares, and parks.
On Sunday, the Madison Police Department announced that its officers were searching for Geyser, who they said had cut off her Wisconsin Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and left her group home. Police said Geyser was seen with an adult acquaintance at around 8:00 p.m. on Nov. 22. She left the group home at approximately 8:15 p.m. that evening, and at 9:30 p.m., the Department of Corrections received an alert that Geyser’s GPS monitoring bracelet was malfunctioning.
At around 11:30 p.m., the Department of Corrections made contact with Geyser’s group home; at 11:35 p.m., the home informed staff that Geyser was not on the property and had removed her GPS bracelet.
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Police were notified at 7:46 a.m. when someone from the group home called 911 to report Geyser as a missing person.
Morgan Geyser appears in a Waukesha County courtroom Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
In a statement posted to social media late Sunday afternoon, Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, implored her to turn herself in. “If anybody has contact with Morgan, hears from her, or if Morgan happens to see this: turn yourself in,” Cotton said in the video. “Do not continue to remain on the run like this. It is not in your best interest to handle this matter that way.
The victim’s family released a statement on Sunday night addressing the disappearance. “Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with law enforcement to ensure their continued safety.”
Officers with the Posen Police Department confirmed that Geyser was found at a truck stop approximately 25 miles south of Chicago. She was with a 42-year-old man, who was charged with criminal trespassing and obstructing identification; he has since been released from custody.
Posen police say they found the pair after they were called for a report of loitering. Officers said they found Geyser and the man sleeping on the sidewalk. When questioned, Geyser allegedly refused to give her real name and initially offered officers a fake one, stating she had “done something really bad.”
Eventually, officers said Geyser told them to “just Google” her name. Upon learning her identity, both she and the man were taken into custody.
At a news conference, the chief of the Posen Police Dept. said Geyser will likely face escape charges in Wisconsin.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
