On a Saturday morning in May 2014, a bicyclist in Waukesha, Wisconsin, found a 12-year-old girl named Payton Leutner crawling out of the woods. She was covered in blood. She had been lured into the trees under the guise of a game of hide-and-seek by two of her best friends. Instead, she was attacked. The question of where did the girl get stabbed isn't just a matter of geography or a spot on a map; it's a harrowing medical reality that nearly cost a child her life and changed the legal landscape for juveniles in America.
The attackers, Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, believed they had to kill Payton to appease a fictional internet creepypasta character known as Slender Man. It sounds like a bad horror movie plot. It wasn't. It was real, and it was brutal.
The Physical Reality: Where the Blade Landed
When people ask specifically about the physical locations of the wounds, the answer is terrifyingly precise. Payton was stabbed 19 times.
Most of the wounds were concentrated in her arms and legs, but the most lethal strikes were to her torso. Two of the most critical wounds nearly ended her life right there in the dirt. One missed her heart by less than a millimeter—literally the thickness of a human hair. The other pierced her liver and stomach.
Medical experts who testified at the trials of Geyser and Weier noted that the sheer luck of the blade’s trajectory was the only reason Payton survived. If she had been breathing more deeply, or if she had shifted her weight even slightly, the "where" of the stabbing would have been directly into her aorta.
Why the Location Mattered in Court
The specific placement of the wounds played a huge role in the legal proceedings. Prosecutors used the number and location of the stabs to argue "intent to kill." They weren't just random swipes. The girls had planned this for months. They chose the woods specifically because it was secluded.
Morgan Geyser, who did the actual stabbing while Anissa Weier cheered her on, reportedly told investigators she "didn't know why she did it," yet the precision of the attacks suggested a focused, albeit delusional, attempt to end a life.
The Woods of Waukesha: David's Park
Beyond the medical specifics, the "where" refers to the site itself. Big Bend Road. David’s Park. It’s a standard, suburban green space.
Imagine a typical Midwestern park. Grass, some playground equipment nearby, and a dense patch of trees. That’s where it happened. The girls had a sleepover the night before to celebrate Morgan's birthday. They went to the park the next morning. They brought a kitchen knife.
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The contrast between the mundane setting and the violence is what stuck with the investigators. It wasn't a dark alley. It was a place where kids play.
The Slender Man Mythos and Why It Happened
You've probably seen Slender Man. Tall, thin, no face, black suit. He’s a product of "Something Awful" forums, created by Eric Knudsen in 2009. But for Geyser and Weier, he was a living deity.
They believed they were his "proxies."
They thought they had to kill to prove their loyalty.
They thought they’d get to live in his mansion in the Nicolet National Forest.
This is where the story gets muddy. It’s about the intersection of early-onset schizophrenia (in Geyser's case) and a shared delusional disorder (folie à deux). Geyser was later diagnosed with schizophrenia, a condition her father also lived with. She truly believed the fictional character was real.
The Medical Miracle of Survival
When Payton was found, her blood pressure was dangerously low. She was in shock.
Surgeons at Waukesha Memorial Hospital had to act fast. They opened her chest to repair the damage near her heart. It’s called a thoracotomy. It's a brutal, necessary surgery where they spread the ribs to get to the organs.
Payton has been incredibly open about her scars. She calls them "reminders of my strength." To her, the question of where did the girl get stabbed is answered every time she looks in the mirror. She has scars on her arms, her legs, and a long surgical scar down her chest.
Long-term Impact on the Victims
It's not just the physical pain. Payton had to deal with the betrayal. Her best friends—the people she trusted most—were the ones who held her down and attacked her.
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- Trust Issues: For years, she struggled to make new friends.
- PTSD: The sounds of the woods or certain "trigger" words could send her back to that morning.
- Publicity: She had to grow up as "the Slender Man girl."
Honestly, the way she has handled it is nothing short of heroic. She finished high school, went to college, and has largely stayed out of the toxic "true crime" spotlight, only speaking up when she feels it can help others.
Where Are the Attackers Now?
This is the part that still sparks heated debates in Wisconsin and across the US. Because they were 12 at the time, the question of whether they should be tried as adults was a massive legal battle.
Ultimately, they were. But they were found "not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect."
- Anissa Weier: She was sentenced to 25 years in a psychiatric facility. However, she was granted conditional release in 2021. She lives under strict supervision, with GPS monitoring and restricted internet access.
- Morgan Geyser: She received a 40-year sentence in a psychiatric institute. As of now, she remains confined, though she has made several appeals for release, claiming her symptoms are managed.
Many people feel the sentences were too light. Others argue that 12-year-olds with severe mental illness shouldn't be in prison. It’s a mess. There’s no easy answer.
Misconceptions About the Attack
There are a few things people consistently get wrong about this case.
First, people think it happened at night. It didn't. It was broad daylight, around 10:00 AM.
Second, many believe Slender Man was a "demon" from folklore. He's not. He was an internet meme created for a Photoshop contest.
Third, there's a common myth that the girls were "loners." They weren't. They were a trio of friends who seemed, to the outside world, like normal middle schoolers.
The scariest part of this story isn't the fictional monster. It’s the fact that it happened in a quiet suburb, between friends, in the middle of a sunny Saturday.
Staying Safe in a Digital World
If there is anything to learn from this tragedy, it’s about the vulnerability of young minds to "rabbit holes" online.
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We live in an era where creepypasta, urban legends, and deep-fakes can feel very real to a child whose brain isn't fully developed. Geyser and Weier spent hours on the Creepypasta Wiki. They fed each other's delusions.
Actionable Steps for Awareness
If you are a parent, educator, or just someone concerned about the influence of digital subcultures, consider these steps:
Monitor the "Rabbit Hole" Effect It’s not about banning the internet; it’s about noticing when a child becomes obsessed with a single, dark topic. If a child begins talking about fictional characters as if they are real or making "sacrifices" or "deals" with them, that is a massive red flag.
Open Dialogue on Mental Health Morgan Geyser’s schizophrenia might have been caught earlier if there was more open discussion about her father's history and the signs of early-onset psychosis. If a child reports seeing or hearing things that aren't there, get professional help immediately. Don't wait.
Teach Digital Literacy Kids need to know the difference between "user-generated fiction" and reality. Explain how Wikis work. Explain that anyone can write a story and make it look official.
Understand the Legalities Know your state’s laws regarding juvenile crime. The Slender Man case changed how many people view the "adult crime, adult time" philosophy.
The story of Payton Leutner is one of incredible resilience. She was stabbed in the woods of Waukesha, in the heart, and in the spirit. But she didn't stay down. She crawled to that bike path, she fought for her life in the ER, and she rebuilt a life that her attackers tried to steal.
When we talk about where did the girl get stabbed, we are talking about a location of trauma that has been transformed into a story of survival. It serves as a stark reminder of the power of the internet, the fragility of the human mind, and the absolute necessity of mental health intervention for young people.