In a tragic and chilling crime that shocked the world, two Wisconsin preteens, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, carried out a brutal attack on their close friend Payton Leutner on May 31, 2014. The girls lured Leutner into the woods and viciously stabbed her 19 times in an attempt to please the fictional character Slender Man, a sinister figure born from internet folklore. While Leutner miraculously survived this horrific ordeal, Weier and Geyser’s lives took a stark turn as they were sent to psychiatric facilities for evaluation and treatment.
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Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, both just 12 years old at the time of the attack, attended Horning Middle School in Waukesha, Wis., where they, along with Leutner, were students. Leutner had initially befriended Geyser, describing her as funny and a bit lonely, until Geyser’s friendship with Weier took a dark turn towards an unhealthy obsession with Slender Man. As their fixation on the fictional character grew, Leutner felt the need to distance herself from Geyser, noticing alarming changes in her behaviour that made her uneasy.
Over several months, Weier and Geyser meticulously planned Leutner’s murder, using code words and selecting a date for the violent act. On the fateful day, they led Leutner to a park and brutally stabbed her, leaving her for dead. Fortunately, Leutner managed to crawl to safety, where she was rescued and received medical attention. The perpetrators were apprehended by the police, who were shocked to learn that the girls genuinely believed in Slender Man’s existence and feared dire consequences if they did not carry out the attack.
Despite their young age, Weier and Geyser faced serious charges of first-degree intentional homicide. Weier pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted homicide and was ruled to be mentally ill at the time of the crime, resulting in a lengthy sentence in a psychiatric facility. Geyser, on the other hand, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and committed to a mental hospital, receiving a forty-year sentence for public protection due to her condition.
In the aftermath of the Slender Man stabbing, Payton Leutner showed remarkable resilience and strength as she recovered from her physical and emotional wounds. Despite enduring numerous medical appointments and facing the trauma head-on, Leutner returned to school and continued to excel academically and pursue her interests, demonstrating a remarkable sense of courage and determination.
As for Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, their paths have taken different trajectories since the crime. Weier was released from psychiatric treatment in September 2021, under strict conditions including GPS tracking, continued psychiatric care, and restricted internet access. In contrast, Geyser’s petition for early release was initially denied in 2024, but she was eventually granted release in January 2025 after showing signs of progress and no longer deemed a safety risk.
The case of the Slender Man stabbing serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of online influences on vulnerable individuals and the importance of mental health awareness and intervention. It also highlights the resilience of survivors like Payton Leutner, who found strength in the face of adversity and emerged with a newfound sense of purpose and determination.