Morgan Geyser, 23, the Wisconsin woman who stabbed a classmate in 2014 in a case inspired by the fictional horror character Slender Man, was arrested in Illinois over the weekend after fleeing her group home in Madison.
According to CBS News, Geyser is set to appear for an extradition hearing in Cook County on Tuesday.
Posen Police Chief William Alexander said Geyser is not facing local charges in Illinois, as doing so would delay her return to Wisconsin.
Police located Geyser and a 42-year-old friend sleeping on the sidewalk behind a Thorntons truck stop Sunday night after responding to a report of two people loitering.
Geyser initially gave a false name and told officers she didn’t want to reveal her identity because she had “done something really bad,” suggesting they could “just Google” her.
Once her true identity was confirmed, authorities realized she had fled the Wisconsin group home.
Geyser’s friend, who was briefly detained for obstructing identification, told CBS News Chicago that she accompanied Geyser to ensure she wasn’t alone.
The two traveled by bus and on foot from Madison to Posen, roughly 170 miles south, stopping when Geyser injured her foot. “She was just trying to get as far away from the group home as possible,” the friend said.
Madison police said they were unaware of Geyser’s disappearance until nearly 12 hours after she left.
The Wisconsin Department of Corrections reported her ankle monitor had malfunctioned Saturday night, and she had removed it before fleeing.
Geyser had been living in the group home after her release earlier this year from Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where she had spent seven years following her 2014 attack.
Experts had testified that she had made progress in managing her mental illness.
Geyser and another girl, Anissa Weier, lured 12-year-old Payton Leutner to a Waukesha park in 2014. Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier encouraged her, claiming the attack would earn them favor with Slender Man. Leutner survived, but the case shocked the nation.
In 2017, Geyser pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree intentional homicide and was committed to a psychiatric hospital for 40 years.
Weier was committed for 25 years and released in 2021 under strict conditions. Authorities said Geyser will likely return to Winnebago Mental Health Institute following her extradition hearing.
