WARNING: This article contains disturbing and violent content. Reader discretion is advised.
The Slender Man stabbing case, which took place on May 31, 2014, in Waukesha, Wisconsin, is a story of profound darkness, shattered innocence, and systemic failures. It is a tragedy that continues to resonate with a deeply unsettling intensity, born from a perfect storm of undiagnosed mental illness, online obsession, and a series of missed warnings.
A World of Ghosts and Demons
The story begins with Morgan Geyser, a child who, from a very early age, struggled to distinguish between fantasy and reality. Morgan, who has since transitioned and identifies as a transgender male, lived a life where his inner world was a constant battle. Unbeknownst to him, his father lived with schizophrenia, a condition that held a familial link. Even at the age of three, Morgan told his parents of ghosts pulling his hair and biting him. As he grew, his perceptions became more distorted; colors would appear to melt, and he would glimpse a terrifying, towering silhouette he simply called "It" in the bathroom mirror. His bedroom at night was often filled with disturbing visions of bone-white faces with empty black eye sockets, and his world was populated by a vivid cast of imaginary friends, including his primary companion, Maggie. These experiences left Morgan isolated at school, perceived as "weird" by other children.
Into this difficult reality stepped Peyton Leutner. Their unlikely friendship began at nine years old. While Morgan gravitated towards black clothing and books about serial killers, Peyton was a child who loved rainbows and butterflies. Yet, their shared love of cats formed a bond that made them inseparable for the next three years. In a deeply empathetic gesture, when Morgan confided in her about hearing voices, Peyton pretended to hear them too, solidifying a loyalty that would remain, even as their lives began to diverge.
The Genesis of a Shared Delusion
It was into this evolving dynamic that Anissa Weier entered. A child navigating her own complex life, she stumbled upon Creepypasta, a digital portal of fictional horrors and supernatural entities. Among the various beings she encountered, the figure of the Slender Man took hold. Commonly depicted as an unnaturally tall, thin figure with tentacle-like arms and a blank white face, he was rumored to possess the unsettling ability to teleport and induce "slender sickness"—a rapid onset of paranoia and delusions. The Slender Man's origin could be traced back to a Photoshop contest on an internet forum in 2009, but for Morgan and Anissa, the line between fiction and reality began to blur. Morgan started to create his own spin-offs, like "Offender Man" and "Splenderman," while Anissa embraced the fantasy of becoming Slender Man's "proxies," escaping their lives to reside in the fabled Slender Mansion.
To Anissa, the reason Morgan could perceive the Slender Man so vividly was self-evident: he was already a proxy. And in their young minds, the logic was terrifyingly clear: they had to kill for the Slender Man before he turned his deadly attention on them and everyone they held dear.
Missed Warnings and a Fatal Plan
The escalating symptoms of Morgan’s mental state were tragically overlooked. When he brought a wooden mallet to school, he was merely suspended. When he confided in his father about seeing demons, his father dismissed it as a lie to avoid punishment. His mother similarly brushed off conversations with Voldemort as "acting out." His behavior grew more bizarre—barking at other children, painting with his own blood, and frantic emails to Anissa pleading, "I'd like nothing more than to be put in a straitjacket. Help me." These were desperate cries for help that adults in his life either ignored or wrote off as "quirky adolescent antics."
The horrifying plan was set for the night of Morgan’s 12th birthday party. Anissa and Morgan had agreed this would be the night they would do "the deed." After a small gathering, Morgan and Anissa decided to go to a park. Morgan kissed his mother goodbye, saying, "I love you," and packed a winter coat, cereal bars, and a six-inch kitchen knife. In a public toilet stall, Anissa, copying a line from another Creepypasta character, Jeff the Killer, told Peyton to, "Shut your eyes. Go to sleep." But Morgan hesitated, whispering, "I can't do this. You have to do it."
The Attack and a Miracle of Survival
They eventually lured Peyton to an isolated spot in the woods with a game of hide-and-seek. Anissa first pushed Peyton down, then asked her to lie in the dirt to make the stabbing "easier." When Morgan arrived, he whispered to Anissa, "I can't do it. You have to." Then, with a terrifying swiftness, he pounced on Peyton. "I'm sorry," he stammered. "I have to do this. Someone from Creepypasta is stalking me." He plunged the knife into Peyton's chest, stomach, legs, and arms, a total of 19 times.
The attackers, lost in their distorted reality, assumed she would die silently, like in a movie. But she didn't. Her raw, continuous screaming filled the woods as she cried out in pain and disbelief, "Morgan, why did you do that? I can't breathe. I trusted you. I hate you all." Abandoning her with a lie that they were going to get help, Morgan and Anissa fled.
In what can only be described as a miracle, Peyton, despite her life-threatening injuries, managed to drag herself out of the woods to a nearby road. She was found by a cyclist who, for reasons unknown, had chosen to take a shortcut he normally avoided. When asked who had done this to her, Peyton's reply was, "My best friend." One of the stab wounds missed a major artery by less than a millimeter. The surgeon later stated that had it been a millimeter over, she would have died within minutes, never making it out of the woods to be found.
The Legal and Mental Health Battles
From the moment of their capture, the legal and mental health battles began. In stark contrast to Anissa, who expressed a mix of fear and relief that Peyton had survived, Morgan showed no remorse. During his five-hour interrogation, he smirked when asked if stabbing his friend was right or wrong, stating, "If it were right, I wouldn't be here now." In a police car, he would tell a terrified Anissa, "This is fun. This is just a game."
Morgan and Anissa were tried as adults, a decision that denied them access to the specialized care of the juvenile system. For 19 months, Morgan was denied crucial medication for his schizophrenia, a decision later deemed unethical by experts. His mental state continued to spiral, and he reportedly attempted suicide while in custody. It was only after his parents secured a court order that he was given medication, and his condition showed significant improvement.
Anissa was found not guilty by reason of insanity, based on a diagnosis of shared psychosis. Morgan later took the same path, and both were committed to mental health institutions—Anissa for 25 years and Morgan for a maximum of 40.
A Life of Resilience
Throughout the legal saga, the media's sensationalist coverage continued, often disregarding Peyton's survival. Sensational headlines screamed of "Slender Man murders," and petitions for the death penalty circulated widely, while hate mail was sent to Morgan's mother. It seems the public was determined to simplify a deeply complex case into a story of two monsters who had murdered an innocent girl.
Peyton, meanwhile, became a symbol of resilience. She not only survived her 19 stab wounds but has gone on to live a fulfilling life. In a 2020 interview, she stated that because of what happened, she now has the life she truly loves. She graduated from high school and is pursuing a career in medicine, a goal directly inspired by her experience.
Recent court hearings have brought the case back into the spotlight. Anissa was granted conditional release in 2021, and Morgan's own conditional release was recently put on hold due to concerns about his proposed placement just eight miles from where Peyton lives.
The Slender Man case stands as a powerful testament to the dangers of unchecked mental illness, the failures of the systems meant to protect children, and the enduring resilience of the human spirit.