It has been twelve years since the woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin, became the site of a crime that felt more like a creepypasta nightmare than real life. You remember the headlines. Two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, lured their friend Payton Leutner into the trees and stabbed her 19 times. Why? To appease a fictional internet monster named Slender Man.
The world watched as these two children were tried as adults. We saw them grow up behind the glass of courtrooms and psychiatric wards. But "now" is a moving target. As of early 2026, the paths of these two women have diverged in ways that even their doctors didn’t fully anticipate. One is trying to blend into the quiet of civilian life, while the other is back behind the high walls of an institution after a high-stakes escape that sounds like a movie script.
The 2025 Escape: Where Morgan Geyser Is Now
Morgan Geyser’s story took a sharp, dark turn just a few months ago. After years of petitions and evaluations, a judge finally granted her conditional release in July 2025. She was moved from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute to a supervised group home in Madison. It was supposed to be her first real taste of the world since she was a child.
It didn't last.
In November 2025, Geyser cut off her GPS monitoring bracelet. She vanished. For 24 hours, the Midwest was on edge as police searched for the 23-year-old. She was eventually found at a truck stop in Posen, Illinois, sleeping in a vehicle with a 43-year-old acquaintance she had reportedly met at church. When police approached her, she gave a fake name before eventually telling them, "I've done something really bad... just Google me."
The fallout was immediate.
On December 23, 2025, Geyser appeared in a Waukesha County courtroom via video. She looked different—older, weary, and perhaps realizing the weight of what she'd thrown away. She chose to waive her right to a revocation hearing. Basically, she didn't fight the state's move to put her back in a facility.
As we sit here in January 2026, Morgan Geyser is back in institutional care. A judge has ordered her to serve the remainder of her 40-year sentence. While she can technically petition for release again in the future, the trust she built with the court over a decade has effectively evaporated.
Anissa Weier: A Different Kind of "Freedom"
Anissa Weier’s current situation is a stark contrast. She was the one who egged Morgan on, the one who told Payton to "lay down and be quiet" so she wouldn't bleed out so fast. But in the eyes of the law, her culpability and her mental health diagnosis (PTSD and depressive disorder vs. Geyser’s schizophrenia) led to a shorter 25-year commitment.
Weier was released on "conditional release" back in September 2021.
She’s 24 now. For several years, she lived under intense scrutiny: 24-hour GPS monitoring, no social media, and restricted internet access. Honestly, it’s about as close to being "out" as you can get while still being owned by the state.
In late 2023, a judge actually agreed to remove her GPS ankle monitor. That was a massive win for her legal team. It meant the court believed she was no longer a flight risk or a danger to the public.
So, where is she at this very second?
- She lives with her father in Waukesha County.
- She is under state supervision until she is 37 years old.
- She is reportedly pursuing an education and trying to remain completely anonymous.
It's a weird existence. She is a woman whose face is known globally, living in the same general area where the crime occurred, trying to shop for groceries or go to a movie without being recognized as the "Slender Man girl."
The Schizophrenia Factor
We have to talk about the mental health aspect because that’s the "why" behind their current status. Morgan Geyser was diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia. Her father had it, too. During the original trial, experts testified that she was "floridly psychotic," believing that Slender Man would kill her family if she didn't kill Payton.
Some people think they "got off easy" with the insanity defense.
But talk to any legal expert and they'll tell you: a 40-year psychiatric commitment isn't a "get out of jail free" card. It’s a locked ward with no end date. Geyser’s recent escape attempt in late 2025 has reignited the debate about whether her condition can ever be truly managed in a community setting. Her attorney, Tony Cotton, has long argued that she needs social reintegration, but the state argues that her recent flight proves she still lacks the "social reasoning" to survive outside.
What People Get Wrong About the Case
There’s a lot of misinformation floating around on TikTok and Reddit. You've probably seen people claiming they are already "free" or that they’ve changed their names and moved to Europe.
That’s not true. 1. They are not "free": Even Weier, who is out of the hospital, is under the thumb of the Department of Health Services. She has a case manager. She has to report her every move. One slip-up, and she goes back to Winnebago just like Morgan did.
2. The Victim is the Hero: While the world focuses on the perpetrators, Payton Leutner has quietly become a powerhouse. She graduated high school with honors, went to college, and is reportedly pursuing a career in the medical field. She gave one major interview to 20/20 years ago and then largely stepped out of the spotlight. She has stated she has no interest in ever speaking to Geyser or Weier again.
3. The "Slender Man" obsession is gone: Both women have stated in court documents that they no longer believe the character is real. It was a shared delusion, a "folie à deux," that broke once they were separated and medicated.
Insights for Following the Case in 2026
If you’re looking to stay updated on the legal status of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier now, you need to look at the Waukesha County court records.
Morgan Geyser is currently scheduled for further status hearings throughout 2026 to determine which facility she will stay in long-term. Because she fled the group home, she is now considered a high-security risk.
For Anissa Weier, the next big milestone won't come for years. Her supervision ends in 2039. Until then, she is effectively on the world's longest probation.
Next Steps for Information:
- Check the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and Department of Health Services public portals for updated residency status, though Geyser’s specific location is often kept semi-private for her safety.
- Monitor local Wisconsin news outlets like WTMJ-TV or the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; they cover the boring status hearings that national news ignores.
- Avoid "True Crime" social media accounts that use dramatized or AI-generated images of the girls; they often conflate facts from 2014 with the current 2026 reality.
The Slender Man case didn't end in the woods. It’s a living, breathing legal saga that continues to test the boundaries of how we treat mental illness in the criminal justice system.