Police located Morgan Geyser in Illinois on Sunday night after she left a Wisconsin group home and removed her state-issued monitoring bracelet, according to law enforcement officials.
Geyser, who stabbed a classmate 19 times in 2014 to appease the fictional character “Slender Man,” left the facility sometime Saturday night.
Authorities said they found Geyser at a Thornton’s truck stop in Posen, a suburb about 25 minutes south of Chicago. Police confirmed that she traveled there by bus with another person, according to ABC News. Officers took both individuals into custody.
Police said the person with Geyser was a 42-year-old man who faced charges for criminal trespassing and obstructing identification. Officers released him but kept him at the station. Authorities did not release his name or additional details.
Police said Geyser was last seen in Madison around 8 p.m. on Saturday with an adult acquaintance. The department posted a surveillance image online as the search progressed. Officers said they notified local agencies on Sunday morning about Geyser’s disappearance.
Geyser’s mother, Angie Geyser, urged the public to contact police if they saw her daughter. “If you see Morgan, please call the police. Morgan, if you can see this, we love you and just want to know you are safe,” she said in a statement to ABC News.
Police said Geyser will remain in custody until officials transfer her to Cook County for an extradition hearing at the Criminal Court Administration Building on 26th and California. Authorities did not specify when the hearing will occur.
In March, a Waukesha County judge ordered Geyser’s release from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, where she lived after being found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The judge required her to live in a supervised group home and wear a monitoring bracelet.
Geyser’s attorney, Tony Cotton, asked her to surrender to authorities on Sunday, saying it was “in her best interest.”
A spokesperson for the family of Payton Leutner, the victim in the 2014 stabbing, said they are aware of the situation. “Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety,” the statement said.
