Update on the Search for “Slender Man” Stabber

The nationwide hunt for the woman known as the “Slender Man” stabber has wrapped up.

On Sunday evening, Madison police confirmed that Morgan Geyser, who was convicted for stabbing a classmate multiple times when she was just 12, was arrested in Posen, Illinois.

She had cut off her ankle monitor the previous Saturday and escaped from the group home where she was under the care of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

The Posen Police Department shared details of her capture on social media. They found her while responding to a report of a prowler at a nearby truck stop, where she was sleeping on the sidewalk with a “male suspect.”

The man, identified as Chad Mecca but who claimed to be a woman named “Charlie,” was also taken into custody. A mug shot revealed him in a pink tank top and sporting short blue hair.

Mecca said Geyser had left the group home because she was prohibited from having visitors.

When officers encountered Geyser, she initially refused to identify herself and gave a false name. Eventually, she admitted to “doing something really bad” and suggested they “Google” her name.

In 2017, Geyser was convicted of attempted murder for stabbing 12-year-old Peyton Leutner during a camping trip in Wisconsin. She and another girl, Anissa Weier, lured Leutner to a forest park, where Geyser stabbed her 19 times on Weier’s urging. Although Leutner survived, she sustained numerous injuries.

The two girls claimed they were influenced by Slender Man, a fictional horror character, to commit the act. Both pleaded guilty but were found not guilty by reason of mental illness and were sent to a mental health facility.

Weier was sentenced to 25 years in a psychiatric hospital but was released in 2021, required to wear a GPS monitor and live with her father.

Geyser received a maximum sentence of 40 years in a psychiatric facility. In Wisconsin, individuals found not guilty due to mental disease can request conditional release every six months.

During a hearing in January, updates indicated that Geyser had begun identifying as male, requesting to be called “Ethan.” This change was further emphasized by her new hairstyle.

Dr. Brooke Lundbohm, who has treated Geyser for her mental health since 2014, stated, “On May 21, 2024, Mr. Geyser indicated to treatment staff that he identified as a transgender man.”