In June 2009, Something Awful, a comedy website, called for modern scary story submissions. Among thousands, one stood out featuring Slender Man, a mythical creature with a featureless face and ghostly figure, capturing the internet's fascination with its creepiness.
However, what began as an innocuous internet tale took a dark turn when two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were inspired by Slender Man to commit a heinous act. In May 2014, they lured their friend, Payton Leutner, also 12, into the woods of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Believing they needed to become Slender Man's "proxies," Geyser and Weier concluded that sacrificing Leutner would please the fictional entity. Seizing an opportunity in a remote park location, Geyser stabbed Leutner 19 times while Weier watched, leaving her for dead. Remarkably, Leutner survived the ordeal.
This is the harrowing true account of the vicious assault on Payton Leutner and her remarkable journey to recovery following an almost inconceivable betrayal.
The Troubled Friendship Of Payton Leutner, Morgan Geyser, And Anissa Weier
Introducing The 12-Year-Old Girl Who Escaped A Near-Fatal Attack By Her Friends Due To An Internet Meme Payton Leutner, born in 2002, grew up in Wisconsin, experiencing a relatively ordinary childhood. Her life took a turn when she entered fourth grade and befriended Morgan Geyser, a reserved yet humorous girl often found sitting alone.
Initially, Leutner and Geyser enjoyed a positive friendship. However, by sixth grade, their dynamic shifted as Geyser formed a bond with another classmate, Anissa Weier, as reported by ABC News.
Leutner held negative opinions of Weier, whom she considered "cruel." Tensions escalated as both Weier and Geyser became increasingly obsessed with Slender Man, a fixation that didn't interest Leutner in the slightest.
"I thought it was odd. It kind of frightened me a little bit," Leutner said. "But I went along with it. I was supportive because I thought that's what she liked."
Leutner, in an effort to maintain her friendship with Geyser, reluctantly tolerated Weier's presence, unaware of the danger lurking beneath the surface. However, she would soon realize the grave mistake she had made—a mistake that nearly cost her life.
Inside The Brutal Slender Man Stabbing
Introducing The 12-Year-Old Girl Who Escaped A Near-Fatal Attack By Her Friends Due To An Internet Meme Unbeknownst to Payton Leutner, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier had been meticulously planning her murder for months. Driven by a desire to impress Slender Man, Geyser and Weier believed that sacrificing Leutner was necessary to gain favor with the mythical entity and join him in the woods.
Originally slated for May 30, 2014, Geyser and Weier planned to carry out their grisly deed during a seemingly innocuous slumber party celebrating Geyser's 12th birthday. Despite the outward appearance of normalcy, Leutner couldn't shake an unsettling feeling about the impending night.
As reported by the New York Post, previous sleepovers had seen Geyser eager to stay up late into the night. However, on this occasion, her insistence on an early bedtime struck Leutner as particularly odd and unsettling.
Indeed, Geyser and Weier initially planned to carry out the murder while Leutner slept. However, they deemed themselves too fatigued after a day of roller-skating. They postponed their sinister intentions to the following morning.
Subsequently, Geyser and Weier devised a new scheme, as recounted in their statements to the police. They enticed Leutner to a nearby park, where Weier attempted to incapacitate her by pushing her into a concrete wall in a park bathroom. However, the plan failed. Despite Leutner's anger at Weier's actions, she was persuaded by the pair to accompany them to a secluded area of the woods under the guise of playing hide-and-seek.
In the secluded woods, at Weier's urging, Payton Leutner concealed herself with sticks and leaves. Without warning, Geyser launched a brutal assault, stabbing Leutner 19 times with a kitchen knife, inflicting severe wounds across her arms, legs, and torso.
After the vicious attack, Geyser and Weier callously abandoned Leutner, intending to pursue Slender Man. However, their plans were swiftly interrupted when they were apprehended by the authorities. It became evident to them that their sinister quest had ended in failure.
Despite sustaining severe injuries, Leutner displayed remarkable resilience, summoning the strength to rise and seek assistance from a passing cyclist, who promptly alerted the police to the distressing scene. Leutner explained, "I got up, grabbed a couple trees for support, I think. And then just walked until I hit a patch of grass where I could lay down."
Following a grueling six-hour surgery, Leutner regained consciousness in the hospital. By this time, her assailants had been apprehended, bringing her a profound sense of relief amidst the turmoil of her recovery.
Where Is Payton Leutner Now?
Introducing The 12-Year-Old Girl Who Escaped A Near-Fatal Attack By Her Friends Due To An Internet Meme In 2019, Payton Leutner made the decision to share her journey with ABC News, marking a significant step in her healing process. Surprisingly, she expressed gratitude for the traumatic ordeal, revealing that it served as a catalyst for her aspirations in the field of medicine.
As she put it: "Without the whole situation, I wouldn't be who I am." Now, as of 2022, Leutner is in college and "doing very well," as reported by ABC News.
Before her interview, media coverage predominantly centered on Geyser and Weier, both facing charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide following the attack on Leutner.
Despite pleading guilty, Geyser was deemed not guilty by reason of mental disease. Consequently, she received a 40-year sentence at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, located near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where she remains confined to this day.
As reported by The New York Times, Weier entered a guilty plea, albeit to a reduced charge of being party to attempted second-degree intentional homicide. Like Geyser, she was also deemed not guilty by reason of mental disease and subsequently sentenced to a mental health facility. However, in contrast to Geyser's situation, Weier's exemplary behavior led to her early release in 2021 after serving only a few years of her sentence. She was then required to reside with her father.
While Leutner's family expressed disappointment at Weier's premature release, they found solace in the fact that she would undergo psychiatric treatment, be subjected to GPS monitoring, and maintain no contact with Leutner until at least 2039.
In 2019, Leutner expressed optimism about her future and her earnest desire to move past the ordeal and "put everything behind me and live my life normally." Encouragingly, it appears that she is succeeding in doing just that.
