By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Authorities announced the apprehension of Morgan Geyser, who was convicted of stabbing her classmate in a Slender Man-related crime, after she left her Wisconsin group home. Geyser, 22, cut off her monitoring bracelet and was last seen with an adult acquaintance on Saturday night. She was taken into custody in Illinois on Sunday. Geyser had been released from a psychiatric hospital earlier this year and was placed in the group home after serving time for the 2014 attack.
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Woman convicted in ‘Slender Man’ stabbing apprehended in Illinois after cutting off monitoring bracelet, and the timeline of events surrounding her disappearance and apprehension is definitely a head-scratcher. It’s almost unbelievable how much time passed between the initial alert and the actual notification of law enforcement. We’re talking about a situation where a young woman, convicted of a particularly disturbing crime involving the “Slender Man” mythos, had her location tracker malfunction, then removed the device altogether, and still, there was a significant delay before the police were even contacted.
The fact that the Department of Corrections (DOC) was alerted about the tracker issue around 9:30 p.m. on a Saturday, but the police weren’t notified until the next morning, is quite concerning. The initial response from the DOC, reaching out to the group home, seems like a reasonable first step. However, the subsequent delay in contacting other agencies, especially considering the nature of the crime and the individual’s history of mental illness, raises serious questions. It’s almost as if there was a reluctance to escalate the situation immediately, perhaps due to internal protocols or a misjudgment of the potential risk.
The two-hour gap between the tracker malfunction and the group home’s confirmation that she wasn’t there, followed by another eight hours before a missing person report was filed, is striking. Someone must have dropped the ball. The idea that there’s a standard waiting period before reporting someone missing, as often depicted on television, seems to be a myth in this case. Time is of the essence, especially when dealing with someone with a history of mental health issues and a propensity for violence. The sooner law enforcement is alerted, the higher the chances of a safe return.
Considering this woman’s age and history, including a diagnosis of schizophrenia, the decision to release her to a group home in the first place is a subject for debate. While the intention might have been to facilitate a smooth transition back into society, clearly, she wasn’t ready. The fact that the other woman involved was released to her father, and did well enough to have her monitoring removed, shows that the release model can work sometimes. This woman’s escape, however, underscores the complexity of mental health treatment and the challenges of reintegrating individuals with serious mental illnesses into the community.
It’s easy to understand why the public would be concerned about such a scenario, but it is clear from the details that her issues were not properly considered. The fact that a 42-year-old man was allegedly involved, or that the police were not immediately notified, adds to the complexity and raises questions about the level of supervision and support she was receiving. It also reinforces the systemic failures in the existing system. The system seems to lack the right settings to properly keep an eye on people.
This entire situation really highlights the complexities of dealing with mental health and the legal system, especially with young people. The challenges of providing adequate care, balancing the need for public safety, and facilitating successful rehabilitation are clearly shown. It’s a reminder of the need for robust mental health services, effective monitoring systems, and a coordinated approach among various agencies.
The discussion around her case, the Slender Man stabbing, seems to be a tragic example of the consequences of untreated mental illness. She committed the crime while a child, experiencing a psychotic break, and had a terrible home life, and was abused as a child. This is a very unfortunate scenario that underscores the importance of early intervention and long-term care for individuals with such conditions.
The point that is often missed is that this was a child who committed a terrible act while she was experiencing a mental health crisis. Prison is not a solution, but effective, long-term psychiatric care should have been provided. The current system fails many people with mental illnesses because it does not provide long-term care options that can help these people. She wasn’t ready to transition back into society, and she needed more help than she was given. It’s a stark reminder that simply releasing someone back into the community, without adequate support and monitoring, can have devastating consequences.