CASE: Inside the Disturbing ‘Slender Man’ S.t/@.b/b.i/n/gs of Wisconsin
CASE FILE: THE SLENDER MAN S.T/@.B/B.I/N/G INVESTIGATION
Inside the Disturbing ‘Slender Man’ Stabbings of Wisconsin: The 12-Year-Old Girl Who Survived a Friendship Betrayal
Attempted Homicide Investigation Report
Narrative by Detective Brian Coldwel
Waukesha Police Department – Major Crimes Division, Wisconsin
PROLOGUE – THE CHILDHOOD GAME THAT ALMOST BECAME A MURDER
Some crimes begin with hatred.
Others begin with something much harder to understand:
A childhood friendship that turns dangerous.
On May 31, 2014, a peaceful neighborhood in Waukesha, Wisconsin, became the scene of a shocking attack that would capture worldwide attention.
Twelve-year-old Payton Leutner thought she was spending the day with friends.
She believed she was playing a harmless game of hide-and-seek.
The girls had known each other for years.
They shared childhood memories.
They laughed together.
They trusted each other.
But that afternoon, the friendship became a trap.
Payton was led into the woods of David’s Park by two classmates:
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier.
Investigators later discovered that the two girls had allegedly spent months planning an attack.
They told Payton they wanted to play.
They convinced her to lie down and cover herself with leaves.
Then the game ended.
The attack began.
A passing cyclist discovered Payton crawling out of the woods, covered in blood and barely alive.
When emergency dispatchers answered the call, they heard a terrifying report:
A 12-year-old girl had been stabbed.
Multiple times.
Payton had suffered 19 stab wounds.
Doctors later said she survived by an extraordinary chance.
But the investigation became even more disturbing when police discovered the attackers were not adults.
They were children.
Morgan and Anissa were arrested hours later.
Inside police interviews, detectives learned the attack had allegedly been planned for months.
The girls told investigators they believed they needed to hurt Payton to become “proxies” for a fictional internet character known as Slender Man.
A character created online.
A fictional horror figure.
But one the girls believed was real.
The case forced investigators, psychologists, and courts to confront difficult questions:
How could two young girls become convinced that a fictional character demanded violence?
Were they acting out of fear, mental illness, or a desire for acceptance?
And how does society respond when the person responsible for a horrific crime is still a child?
CHAPTER 1 – THE GIRLS BEFORE THE CRIME
Before the attack, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier were not known as violent children.
They were middle school students.
They lived in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Both girls had complicated personal struggles.
But their lives appeared ordinary from the outside.
CHAPTER 2 – MORGAN GEYSER
Morgan Geyser was born in 2002.
People who knew her described her as:
Intelligent
Creative
Imaginative
Different from other children
In elementary school, Morgan often struggled socially.
She did not have many close friends.
That changed when she met Payton Leutner.
CHAPTER 3 – THE FRIENDSHIP WITH PAYTON
Payton became one of Morgan’s closest friends.
The girls:
Drew together
Played together
Had sleepovers
Spent time together
Morgan reportedly considered Payton one of her only true friends.
The friendship appeared important to both girls.
But everything changed when another person entered Morgan’s life.
CHAPTER 4 – ANISSA WEIER ENTERS THE PICTURE
Around sixth grade, Anissa moved into Morgan’s apartment complex.
The two girls quickly became friends.
Their friendship developed around shared interests.
But their interests were unusual for their age.
Instead of typical childhood hobbies, they became fascinated with:
Horror stories
Internet legends
Creepy online content
CHAPTER 5 – THE WORLD OF CREEPYPASTA
Morgan and Anissa became interested in “creepypasta.”
These were fictional horror stories shared online.
The stories often presented themselves in realistic ways.
Some included:
Fake documents
Fake interviews
Fake news reports
The goal was to make fictional stories appear believable.
CHAPTER 6 – THE OBSESSION WITH SLENDER MAN
Among all the stories, one character fascinated the girls:
Slender Man.
Slender Man was a fictional internet horror character.
He was described as:
A tall faceless figure
Wearing a suit
Connected to supernatural stories
However, Morgan and Anissa began treating the character as if he were real.
CHAPTER 7 – THE FRIENDSHIP CHANGES
Payton noticed changes in Morgan after she became friends with Anissa.
She believed Anissa was:
Cruel
Controlling
Jealous of their friendship
Still, Payton remained friends with Morgan.
She trusted her.
CHAPTER 8 – THE PLAN BEGINS
According to investigators, the attack was not spontaneous.
Police later determined that Morgan and Anissa discussed the plan for months.
The girls allegedly began talking about killing Payton around December 2013.
CHAPTER 9 – THE IDEA OF BECOMING PROXIES
The girls believed Slender Man had “proxies.”
In their interpretation:
Proxies were servants or followers who proved their loyalty through violence.
Investigators learned that Morgan and Anissa believed harming someone would prove they were worthy.
CHAPTER 10 – THE BIRTHDAY SLEEPOVER
On May 30, 2014, Morgan celebrated her 12th birthday.
The evening appeared normal.
The girls:
Went roller skating
Ate frozen yogurt
Had a sleepover
Nobody around them knew what they believed was coming next.
CHAPTER 11 – THE WALK INTO DAVID’S PARK
The next morning, Morgan asked her mother if the girls could go to the park.
Normally, she was not allowed to go alone.
But because it was her birthday and she was with friends, permission was granted.
Morgan, Anissa, and Payton went into the woods.
CHAPTER 12 – THE ATTACK
Investigators later determined:
The girls brought a knife.
They led Payton into the woods.
They told her they wanted to play hide-and-seek.
Payton believed them.
She trusted them.
CHAPTER 13 – THE STABBING
According to police:
One girl held Payton down.
The other stabbed her.
Payton suffered:
19 stab wounds
Injuries to her arms
Injuries to her legs
Injuries to her torso
Some wounds struck major organs.
CHAPTER 14 – THE MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL
After the attack, Payton was left in the woods.
She was barely alive.
But somehow, she managed to crawl away.
A cyclist named Greg Steinberg discovered her.
He immediately called 911.
CHAPTER 15 – THE 911 CALL
The emergency call revealed the seriousness of the situation.
The caller reported:
A young girl was stabbed.
She was having difficulty breathing.
She was covered in blood.
Emergency responders rushed to the scene.
CHAPTER 16 – THE SEARCH FOR THE ATTACKERS
Police immediately began searching for Morgan and Anissa.
Five hours later, officers found them near a furniture store.
They were carrying:
A bloody knife
Personal belongings
Both girls were taken into custody.
CHAPTER 17 – MORGAN’S INTERVIEW
During questioning, Morgan revealed shocking details.
She told detectives:
The attack had been planned.
She said they had discussed it since December.
She admitted they intended to kill Payton.
CHAPTER 18 – WHY PAYTON?
Detectives asked:
Why Payton?
Morgan said she did not choose Payton herself.
She suggested Anissa had decided.
The girls believed it was necessary.
CHAPTER 19 – THE SLENDER MAN BELIEF
Anissa later explained their reasoning.
She described Slender Man as a real figure.
She believed:
If they did not prove themselves:
Their families could be harmed.
The girls said they wanted to become proxies.
CHAPTER 20 – THE INVESTIGATION FINDINGS
Police concluded:
The girls had planned the attack.
They had selected Payton.
They had brought a weapon.
They had attempted to kill her.
CHAPTER 21 – THE CHARGES
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier were charged with:
First-degree attempted intentional homicide
The case immediately attracted national and international attention.
CHAPTER 22 – THE QUESTION OF TRYING THEM AS ADULTS
Because of the seriousness of the crime, prosecutors decided the girls would not remain only in juvenile court.
The case moved forward under adult criminal procedures.
CHAPTER 23 – THE MENTAL HEALTH EVALUATIONS
Psychologists examined both girls.
Experts found significant mental health concerns.
Morgan was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Anissa was diagnosed with a condition involving delusional beliefs.
CHAPTER 24 – ANISSA WEIER’S DEFENSE
Anissa’s defense argued:
She believed Slender Man was real.
She believed her family would be harmed if she refused.
Experts testified that she experienced a shared delusional belief with Morgan.
CHAPTER 25 – THE PROSECUTION ARGUMENT
Prosecutors argued:
Anissa knew the difference between right and wrong.
They pointed to evidence showing:
Planning
Secrecy
Attempts to avoid punishment
They argued she made a choice.
CHAPTER 26 – ANISSA’S VERDICT
In 2017, Anissa pleaded guilty to:
Attempted second-degree intentional homicide.
She also claimed she was not criminally responsible due to mental disease or defect.
A jury later agreed.
CHAPTER 27 – ANISSA’S SENTENCE
The court ordered Anissa to receive treatment at:
Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
She was committed for up to 25 years.
CHAPTER 28 – MORGAN GEYSER’S CASE
Morgan’s role was considered more severe.
Investigators determined she was the person who physically stabbed Payton.
She accepted a plea agreement.
CHAPTER 29 – MORGAN’S SENTENCE
In 2018, Morgan was committed to Winnebago Mental Health Institute.
The court ordered:
40 years of institutional care.
The judge stated the decision was based on public safety.
CHAPTER 30 – PAYTON’S RECOVERY
Payton survived.
But the emotional damage lasted much longer.
She returned to school.
She continued rebuilding her life.
However, she lived with lasting trauma.
CHAPTER 31 – PAYTON’S MESSAGE YEARS LATER
Years after the attack, Payton spoke publicly.
She explained that her scars became part of her story.
She wanted to help others.
She planned to pursue medicine because of the doctors and nurses who saved her life.
CHAPTER 32 – ANISSA’S RELEASE
In 2021, Anissa was granted conditional release.
She moved under supervision with strict conditions.
She continued receiving monitoring and support.
CHAPTER 33 – MORGAN’S RELEASE REQUESTS
Morgan later requested conditional release.
In 2024, a judge denied the request.
The court found she still represented a significant risk.
CHAPTER 34 – MORGAN’S CONDITIONAL RELEASE
In January 2025, after additional evaluations, the court changed its decision.
The judge granted Morgan conditional release.
She was not immediately free.
A supervised placement plan was required.
CHAPTER 35 – THE 2025 VIOLATION
Later in 2025, authorities received a report:
Morgan had left her group home.
She had removed her GPS monitoring device.
Police located her with another person.
She was taken back into custody.
Her conditional release was revoked.
FINAL NOTE – DETECTIVE BRIAN COLDWEL
The Slender Man case remains one of the most disturbing juvenile crime investigations in modern American history.
It was not simply a story about an internet character.
It was about:
Two children losing touch with reality
A friendship becoming dangerous
A victim who trusted the wrong people
A community forced to confront difficult questions
Payton Leutner survived an attack that should have taken her life.
Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier faced the consequences of their actions while courts examined their mental health and responsibility.
The case remains a reminder that fictional worlds can have real consequences when vulnerable minds cannot separate fantasy from reality.
But above everything else, this case belongs to Payton.
A 12-year-old girl who survived.
A person who rebuilt her life.
And a reminder that survival is sometimes the most powerful form of justice.
CASE STATUS: CLOSED – JUDICIAL RESOLUTIONS COMPLETED
DEFENDANTS: MORGAN GEYSER / ANISSA WEIER
VICTIM: PAYTON LEUTNER
CHARGES: ATTEMPTED FIRST-DEGREE INTENTIONAL HOMICIDE
KEY EVIDENCE: POLICE INTERVIEWS / DIGITAL HISTORY / KNIFE EVIDENCE / PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATIONS
