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The Slender Man Stabbers: Morgan Geyser & Anissa Weier · Minor Mischief Podcast

• Kiki George: What happens when the obsession to please a well-known entity leads a pair of friends far past the point of return? This is the Minor Mesh Podcast, and this is the story of the Slender Man Stabbers. Welcome back. Welcome back to another episode of the Minor Mischief Podcast, a true crime podcast where we discuss the crimes of young people. I am your host and home girl for the time being, Mrs. Kiana Amir, and thank ya. Thank you for hanging out with me. Hopefully everyone's had a great week. Hopefully everyone's month is going great. It's been something, you know, but let's dissociate together, shall we? I think we shall. Today's story kind of popped up as an article on my computer and I immediately was like, honey, we must discuss. So buckle up and make sure your wig is secure, honey, because this story is a wild and crazy ride. Today we're heading to the town of Waukisha. We are headed to the town of Waukeisha. It's actually pronounced Waukeshaw, but when I saw it, I was like, I did not know there was a Waukeisha, Wisconsin. And immediately, I'm sitting here, no, now need your own little something, something, whatever. Mind of Wakeisha, you know what I'm saying? But Waukeshaw. We're headed to Waukeshaw, Wisconsin, aka Spring City, as it is called due to the amount of mineral springs in its location. Waukeshaw also houses the oldest four-year college in America that is named Carroll University. And Waukesha has 72,000 residents and sits about 15 miles west of Milwaukee. Yup, yup. In Waukesha, Wisconsin, we are introduced to Morgan Geyser and Anisa Wire, who are our mischief makers and Peyton Lutner. And I'm so sorry if I messed that up because I did not have enough time to look up the pronunciation of Peyton's name. It's either Lutner or Lautner. I'm gonna go with Lutner, who is the star of our show, but also unfortunately our victim. Anissa Wire was born on November 10th, 2001. November babies. Y'all know y'all are some crash outs. And she was born to Bill and Christy Wire. Anissa has two siblings, an older brother and a sister, but I'm not sure if her sister is older or younger than her. Now, Anisa, she had a typical childhood, but she was always said to be shy, quiet. A little bit more reserved. Like you could actually know her and not know a thing about her simultaneously at the same damn time. Those close to her though state that she was a girl scout who truly loved being a part of her troupe and she also loved to sing. She additionally loved animals, she loved roller skating. Anisa's family stated that when Anisa was home, she was pretty much your average little girl. After school, she would hang out in the living room with her family, they would watch TV, they would, you know, chit-chat, cackle, play some board games. And that is really how their evenings went until she was blessed with an iPad. And this is when she started to withdraw a little bit from her family because she spent most of her time alone scrolling on her iPad, as kids do. I mean, I have iPad kids. If they have their tablets, maybe I'm not seeing them. The only time I see my kids is when they are grounded and have nothing to do. And then I'm just like, why are you in my face? Again. But Anissa is gifted this iPad, and this is when she starts withdrawing from her family. She's spending more time alone, scrolling on her iPad. Her dad did admit though that if it ever became excessive, like if she was just in her room for hours on end, scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, doom scrolling, I guess as we call it nowadays, he would force her to join the rest of the family. And she did comply. She didn't like it because obviously she would much rather be playing on her iPad, but she definitely did comply without a fuss. Anissa, she kept to herself mostly and she did not entertain many friends. She was fairly sensitive. And the other kids, they just honestly, they were little assholes, if I could be honest. They just really were not that great to her. And again, guys, like this is why we need, like, just be kind. If you don't understand somebody or if you don't know what they got going on, just be kind, right? It takes nothing to be kind. It takes nothing to just be. Acknowledge a kid. Hey, so and so. Hey Anisa, you know, it it really takes nothing. Her fifth grade teacher admitted that while she was one of his favorite students, she would come to him regularly and just cry and cry because she didn't really have any friends of her own. And on top of this, going through this like elementary school angst, going through the kids, like childhood is tough. It's a it's a real wonder we all survived because yes, adult life is way more ghetto, in in my opinion. Cause I went through far more in my adult life than I went through in my childhood. At the time, it was just, I wasn't the popular kid. I was tall. I was five nine in the eighth grade. Like I stuck out like a sore thumb, didn't have a lick of melanin on my bones. Like I was just they used to call me Big Bird by the time I got to ninth grade. Like now I did use that to my advantage. Cause I was just like, you know what, if y'all call if y'all wanna call me Big Bird baby, I'm gonna be the most biggest, yellowest thing you ever did see. And I owned it. And I think that's kind of what made high school a little bit more bearable for me. But in middle school, it was tough. I had like two friends. And I just remember the summer between middle school and high school, I was like, God, I do not want to get picked on no more. Like I would like a little bit of nicer clothes. You know, I would like to not be this big goofy girl anymore. Spoiler alert, at the age of 37, I'm still this big goofy girl. But I am at least a lot more comfortable in my skin. Like I know I'm big, I know I'm goofy. And it's like, what you gonna do about it? Beat me. But when I was in middle school, it was really hard. And so Anissa, she's having a hard time. She's not making a lot of friends. She's not having a lot of fun. And then in 2012, her life is further shattered when her parents got divorced. This really affected her because that was her sense of normalcy. Like she could be in her room on her iPad, but her family's gonna be in that living room. Everybody's gonna be joined together. Everybody's gonna be having a good time, you know? And so for that to be split up for her. I'm sure that sent her into a a further depression. So even though her parents did get divorced, what I do know is that her mother filed and they were amicable afterwards. So they really did try to create a sense of normalcy for their children amidst their separation. So here Anisa is, she's begging for friendship, she's begging for companionship, and the only stability in her life changes drastically. Anisa, you know, she did very well in c in compartmentalizing. And she really hid how she felt. She hid the fact that she was struggling socially. I think one of her cousins said that she always thought Anissa was popular because Anissa would be like, yeah, I have all these friends. We're going to this pool party. We're doing all these things. And then to come to find out like at the trial that Anissa didn't have any friends, it was weird for her. So she was just like, you know, I felt like I knew her, but did I really? However, things don't necessarily go on bad for long, right? There's always a light at the end of the tunnel, and at the end of the day, the day gotta end. So things really changed for Anissa in the sixth grade when Anisa's family moved into the condo subdivision that Miss Morgan Geyser's family lived in. Morgan Geyser was born on May 16, 2002, to Matt and Angie Geyser. It appears that she has at least one sibling, a younger brother, and Morgan was also said to have a fairly average childhood. So average, matter of fact, that she believed in Santa until the age of 11. I personally could not keep the facade up that long, but I definitely applaud those that do because I have heard of other parents that are just like, as long as you believe in, I'm serving you belief, okay? I tried the Santa thing with my kids and my son asked me for a tablet, my oldest. He asked me for a tablet when he turned four. And I told him. Like, hey, you know, maybe write that on your list to Santa. And he was just like, no, sweetheart, no Santa about it. I'm going to write that on my list to Jesus because Santa may deny me, but Jesus is not going to. And I was just like, you know what, kid? I'm not gonna, I'm not gonna take that away from you. So my kids, you know, they do letters to Jesus for Christmas. Thank you to my oldest. So again, Morgan's life was pretty chill. She was fairly average, loving family. Now, her father was diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder, but according to her mom, he was so high functioning and is so high functioning that you couldn't even tell. Like to know him is to love him, and to love him is to not even know that he had bipolar disorder because he masked his symptoms so well. Morgan, on the other hand, she was just like, baby, I'm going to march to the beat of my own drum. And she never gave a care about who liked it or didn't like it. Which honestly is what most people loved about her. And I'ma go ahead and say that's what I love about her because do what you wanna do, honey, okay? Nobody does for you but you. Now, Morgan's mother stated that throughout her childhood, Morgan never really seemed empathetic during situations where she felt like she should have been. For instance, when they watched the Bambi movie and Bambi's mom died, most kids cry or they're, you know, question death or what's going on here. And Morgan was just like, Keep running, Bambi, don't you stop moving, save yourself, Bambi. Your mother's gone. Like now I don't know the age that this happened at, but I'm just like, I mean I gotta think about that. Cause I'm just like, was that really a lack of empathy or was this that just like I heard the gunshot, I know the mother's dead, you gon' be next if you don't keep running. I don't know. And to be quite frank, I was not really the most like To me, in my head, when I was younger, movies were movies. Movies were not real life. And so I could watch the saddest movie and not shed a tear until when I was a teenager, I watched my sister's keeper. Baby, that movie made me weep. And I've been crying at movies ever since. Like I even cried at the drama. I don't know if you guys have seen that. Let me know if you had, because I'm ready to swing in the comments. Like Cause the one girl in that movie pissed me off so bad, not Zendaya's character, but that's not why we're here. Let me know and then send me a comment because I really want to talk about it. Morgan loved and lived in a fantasy. And those closest to her admitted that the concept of reality was pretty skewed in her mind. Like she lived in her mind. And as a fellow person that lives in their mind, like I understand sometimes life is ghetto and you just need to get away, honestly. And I still do that regularly to this day. I often say that people who live in their mind are more in touch with reality than we may think, but we're not here for my opinion, just the facts. So Morgan lived in her head primarily. And like Anisa, she too didn't have that many friends. So when they met, they clicked and it was just like, are you into like fantasy stuff? Do you be living in your head? Yeah, girl, I be living in my head. Let's live in our heads together. And from the time they met, they clicked and they became fast friends. And as their friendship blossomed, The two really became inseparable and they were joined at the hip, you know, and they just loved each other. They had a really great friendship. They had their own bubble and they didn't ever come out of it, you know? Morgan did have one other friend that she managed to remain close to since the fourth grade. And as her friendship with Anisa blossomed, it was only fair that she introduced her bestie to her other bestie, Miss Peyton Lutner. Peyton Isabella Loutner. Who goes by Bella? So that's how we will address her going forward. She was born on February 13th, 2002, to her parents, Stacy and Joe Lutner. Now she has at least one younger brother named Caden. And like our mischief makers, I mean, everybody's living in a mansion in Wisconsin. Now I do know that Matt Morgan and Anisa lived in a condo, but it's just like they really all had a fairly average life. Like they had parents that loved them, they weren't exposed to too much craziness. And they really were just loved and they had these like typical nuclear families, right? So Bella, she was a gentle soul. Like she had a gentle nature. She was extremely compassionate and empathetic to her peers and really to everyone. Her empathetic nature is really what drew her to be friends with Morgan because remember, Morgan don't really do people like that. But Bella was just like, everybody needs friends. Morgan, I cannot allow you to go through life alone. Like Allow me to be your friend, allow me to be there for you. And so that is how they started and maintained a friendship because Bella was like, everybody needs somebody. She reminds me of Desiree Turner from the Desiree Turner episode because that's how she became friends with her perpetrators. Because she was just like, I know you say you don't want friends, but nobody deserves to go through life alone. And like I said, while I don't feel like we have to be assholes about it, I also feel like if somebody is like telling you like I just want to go through life alone. Just be like, all right, I'm a I'ma be here if ever you don't want to, but I'm not gonna force it on you. But just know you do have an ally and a friend. Now, Morgan and Anisa developed an obsession and quite a love for all things spooky, all things creepy, all things slender man. Anissa started following the Slender Man lore first, and then she introduced it to Morgan. Upon hearing of the Slender Man for the first time, Morgan was like, I know him. This creature. has been haunting my dreams since I was five years old. And if you're like myself and you have no idea who Slender Man is, allow me to introduce him. I watched the Slender Man movie on Netflix and baby, like that was a true snooze fest. I left it on in the background because that movie was trash. But regardless, Slender Man is an internet created urban legend which is unlike traditional folklore that takes hundreds of years to develop. So unlike the boogeyman and the Baba Duck and, you know, my gosh. what was it? What's it called from John Wick Baba Yeaga? unlike those creepy entities, Slenderman's origin is completely documented. Slenderman was created on June 10th, 2009, by a man named Eric Nudson, who was under the username Victor Serge on the Something Awful internet forum. The creator photoshopped a tall faceless figure into old black and white photos of children for a paranormal image contest. The images went viral and other internet users immediately began writing stories, making video games, and creating web series that expanded the lore to what it is today. Now, our girls learned about the Slender Man from a site called Creepy Pastas. And from what I could see, Creepy Pastas is a site that holds like fandom stories, fan images, things of that nature. Slender Man is described as a tall man in a sharp black suit with a white shirt and tie. He is anywhere from six to fourteen feet tall. He is completely featureless and has just like a blank white face. He is said to sprout these dark tree-like tentacles to capture his prey. Like Michael Myers, Slender Man does not run. He is not about to break a sweat. He does not have time for that. But if you're running away from him and you look away, you're gonna look back and he's gonna be right up on your tail. Like as soon as you look away, he just teleports right to in front of you. And per the lore. One of the first symptoms that Slender Man has attached himself to you is called Slender sickness, which symptoms include severe paranoia, intense nightmares, hallucinations, and sudden nosebleeds. Slenderman's victims are called proxies, which are described as humans who have lost their minds under Slender Man's influence. Slender Man has been present in games like Minecraft. He's on Tumblr, he's on YouTube, he's all over the internet, child. If you if you Google him, you're gonna find him. Slenderman was especially prevalent on YouTube due to the amount of fan videos and entries that were made using the Slender Man. Additionally, Slenderman was popular on creepypastas, like I mentioned, due to the amount of times the stories of Slender Man were reposted, reused, and re-edited and remixed. Despite his creepy nature, there was a perceived positive side to Slender Man. A lot of people compared him to like the Pied Piper, like he tried to do something good and y'all are ostracizing him for it. I don't know about that because I don't know about the Pied Piper. Like he literally kidnapped all the children of the village by having them follow him while he played his pipe. What you doing with the children? But Slender Man, apparently he was not kidnapping children to kill. He was rescuing them from the ghetto that is childhood. He was especially alluring to children who had a hard time coping in school or were lonely because to them it's just like, I know that if I Fall in with the Slender Man, like I'm always gonna have a protector. I'm always gonna have someone there, and I'm always gonna have these people by my side. They gave them the hope of going away and escaping reality, being somewhere where it didn't matter if they had friends or not. They were accepted the way they were. And this belief of Slender Man was made worse because of the pictures and videos online. And I'm not even gonna lie, they do look real. Like they're very well done, some of them. Bella. She wasn't really feeling the Slender Man obsession though. As Morgan grew more and more intrigued and I dare say obsessed with the Slender Man lore and wanting to learn more about him, how to get into his circle, how to survive him. As she would send Bella videos about Slender Man, Bella was like, Baby, I'm not going for none of that. I'm not going to read this. I'm not going to open it. I don't do creepy. Even though she and Morgan began to have less and less in common, again, Bella being empathetic, being compassionate, being a real girl's girl. She didn't like the idea of bailing on her friends. So she continued to maintain her friendship with Morgan, even though she began to, in the back of her mind, become slightly concerned about the things that Morgan was interested in. Bella was not the girl who thought she had to go through life alone and she was not allowing Morgan to go through life alone. Bella did, however, regularly confide in her mother about life and any concerns that she had. And I can honestly love and appreciate that about her. Cause what 12 year old girl is like telling her mom everything? Maybe my child, but. A lot of them don't. So naturally, as Bella's talking to her mom, she confides in her mom about Morgan's obsession with the slender man. And she's like, Mom, Morgan really believes that this slender man guy is real and About that. Like, I don't think that it's just not really my cup of tea. But naturally, Stacy wasn't too concerned because it's all fiction, right? And according to Stacy in a direct quote, fantasy when you're 12 years old is still a very active part of your life. Again, Morgan still believed in Santa. So it's just like, is it so far-fetched for her to believe in Slender Man? Like she believed in Santa, that didn't hurt anybody. Let her have her fun. So it's now 2014. And if y'all remember, was this during the dance music era? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, you know what I'm saying? So it's now 2014, and Morgan and Anisa are looking for ways to please the Slender Man so that they can go away and live with him because it's like life is ghetto. I don't want to be here no more. You don't want to be here no more. I'm over this. And they're just like, you know what? We can really go live in Slender Man's Mansion. But in order to do that, what do we need to do? We need to bring a sacrifice for Slender Man to be pleased. According to Anissa and Morgan, Slender Man requested Bella. They're just like, he was like, that one will do. Do away with her. You can be my proxies and you can move into this slender mansion with me. So the two get to work on coming up with a plan to trap and kill Bella. A plan they worked on for months until their plan was put in motion in May 2014. So it's May 30th, 2014. Morgan had just had a birthday. And Bella and Anisa were scheduled to have a sleepover at Morgan's house to celebrate her birthday. They went to Skateland, they returned to Morgan's house. They went down to the basement. Everybody's under the blankets, playing with their devices. And initially, Anisa and Morgan are kind of like whispering to themselves while Bella's playing on her device. And they're just like, let's just stab her, cover her up with a blanket to make it look like she's still sleeping. And then we can run off to Slender Man's mansion in the woods. But Morgan was just like, you know what? I want her to at least see tomorrow. Like, I want her to have one more morning. I want her to have a good breakfast. I want her to have a good night's sleep. Like, let's not do it tonight. And so they put it off to the morning. They gave her one more chance at life. And according to Morgan, she wanted to put off Bella's death for as long as possible, hoping that Slender Man would change his mind, but he was not having it. The following morning, May 31st, 2014, the girls wake up and Morgan's mom made them this cute breakfast. They had donuts, they had strawberries, they are giggling, they're laughing. And Angie's like, okay, the girls are having a good time. The sleepover is going well. I have only ever conducted one sleepover in my children's lives, but let me tell you, sleepovers are a lot of work. They are a lot of work. So I tip my hat to you, Angie, because I'd have been like, y'all, y'all not ready to go yet. Like, let's, you know, let's speed this up. So they ate breakfast and then they're just like, hey, Miss Angie, hey mom, can we go to the park? And she's just like, yeah, that'll be fine. You guys go on to the park and just come back, you know, when you're done playing. So as they're heading out to the park, even though it's May 31st, apparently it's still cold in Wisconsin. So Morgan slipped a knife into her jacket, kissed her mom goodbye. She told her she loved her, and then the girls head out. So they do actually head to the park to play, and they're on the playground for a while. And again, Morgan and Anisa, they're kind of to each other because they're just like, okay, like, let's put this plan in motion. We gotta get rid of Bella now. And so Anisa's just like, mm, I read on creepypastas that the easiest way to kill someone would be while they're unconscious or asleep. Because if I look into her eyes, she's gonna trap my soul. Like I can't do that. So they head over to the bathroom and Anisa asks Bella, like, Hey, Bella, why don't you just sit here with your eyes closed till you fall asleep? And Bella is just like, That sounds really weird. Absolutely the hell not. And this is where I appreciate Bella for standing on business. Cause she's like, What? I'm not doing that. So Anisa hits her in the forehead and the back of her head hits the concrete, rendering her unconscious momentarily. So Morgan and Anisa at this point, they're like freaking out. Morgan is. hyperventilating because she's like, I can't do this. I can't do this. I can't do this. I cannot kill my friend. I cannot kill Bella. And even Anissa was just like, Yeah, you're right. I do not want to see a dead body. I don't want to hear Bella scream. And I do not want to look into her eyes. I don't know what was going on with Bella at this time because they're having this whole conversation. And I don't think Bella was truly unconscious. I feel like she was just dazed, like what? But I'm like, on the other hand, may something had to have happened because she continued to play with them after this. So You know, they're talking and then Bella is just like, okay, what are we doing now? And Anisa's like, you know, let's go play hide and seek in the woods. Bella is just like, I don't want to do that. Like, first you want me to put myself asleep in the bathroom. Now you want me to play hide and seek in the woods. Like, what is really going on? And Anisa's just like, Okay, listen, I really like to play hide and seek. If you can just play this one game of hide and seek with us, I'll let you pick the next game. And so of course at this point, Bella's just like, okay, bet. So they begin playing hide and seek and Morgan and Anisa are pulling her further and further and further into the woods. And so Bella at this point, she's very afraid and she's just like, Why am I feeling uneasy? Like this is weird. But I mean, again, nothing bad happens in Waukeisha, right? In Waukesha. I'm gonna be saying Waukeisha all episode. Like it's fine. It's fine. Everybody, it's fine. As they're deep in the woods, Morgan hands Anisa the weapon and Anisa gives it back to her and she's just like, girl, you do it. You go crazy. Go ballistic at this point. Like, just make it happen because I'm not doing it. Morgan then pins Bella down by sitting on both of her legs and she begins stabbing her over and over and over again, nineteen times in total. Bella's last words to Morgan were, I trusted you, followed by, I hate you. After Morgan and Anisa head deeper into the woods and Bella is further and further from their sight, Bella came to the realization that these girls, her friends, really left her for dead. But she's like, I'm not giving up without a fight. I have to fight. I can't just lay here and die. And so she begins army crawling out of the woods and using the last bit of strength she had to pull herself closer. To the cleared path, praying that she can flag someone down for help. As blessing would have it, at the same time, a gentleman by the name of Greg Steinberg is riding his bicycle along that path and he sees a blood soaked Bella on the side of the road. He pulls over and he's just like, Hey, are you okay? And she's like, No. And so he's like, Okay, I'm gonna call nine one one. Okay. Came upon a twelve year old female. She appears to be stabbed. She appears to be what? Stabbed. Stabbed? Correct. Okay. Sir, you're still there? Yes. Hi, sir. So is are you with this twelve year old female? Yes. She says she's having trouble breathing. She said she was stabbed multiple times. Stabbed multiple times? Yes. Okay, sir, are you with her right now? Yes. Is she awake? She's awake. Is she breathing? Yeah, she's breathing. She s said she can take shallow breaths. She's alert. Okay, stay with her. We're sending the police department. Don't hang up, okay? Hold on just a minute. Don't hang up. Okay. Okay. Hold on just a minute, sir. We're sending officers. Is there any assailant around? I didn't even look. I don't see anybody. It's a d Okay, stay stay right with her, sir. Is she on the ground or is she standing up? No, she's laying on the grass. Laying on the grass, stay right with her. Just let me know if she's is remaining conscious or not, okay? Okay. Is there any bleeding going on? Her clothing has got blood on it. Where are the wounds? Do you see where the wounds are? No, I'm I don't know if I should be rolling her over and checking or not. Do you know where Okay, just stay with her just let me know if she's conscious or alert or stops breathing anything. Hold on, gonna talk to the ambulance. Police are also en route. Okay, thank you. Okay. Two copies. Okay. Just keep her in that position. Just let me know on her breathing. Okay. What's your name, sir? My name? Your name. My name. Okay, were you just passing through? Yes. Okay, and you found her and she was just laying there? Yes. Okay. Okay, so you see any active bleeding or blood spurting out or anything like that? No, unless it's underneath or I just see dried blood. Okay, just dried blood. Okay. Okay, is she still breathing? Is she still alert? Yeah. Okay, stay with her. Stay with her. Keep an eye on her. Hold on just a minute. Do not hang up, sir. Okay, Helena. Did that yeah. And she didn't say who did this or how it happened? I don't know if I don't know if she wants to be talking. I started to ask and then that's okay. If she's it's trying to save her energy, I think. Okay. But you see nobody else around you. Are you clearly visible when they pull down that road towards the dead end that they'll see you? I'm I'm sorry, I couldn't hear are you clearly visible when they come down there so they see you? I'm gonna have I got a gold flashlight on my bicycle, I'll shine that for any emergency vehicle I see. I'll be standing in the middle of the road. You're in the middle of the road? And where is she? In the side of the road? Yeah, she's on a grass. It's a little a little trail I take on my bicycle. Okay. Okay, see. Don't hang up, sir, just stay right with me. Okay. And let me know immediately if you see anything else suspicious in the area, car or person, anything. All right. Keep your eyes open. Was anyone coming or leaving, or any cars coming or leaving when you came upon her? no. Nothing? So you were you on foot walking by or did you pull up in a car? Bicycle. You're on a bicycle? Yeah. How did you see her? Did you just She's right in the middle of the little path, I take. Middle of the little path, okay. Yeah. Okay, the squad car coming. Okay, flag the squad car down, protect her. Harry's coming. Does she have a bike or anything with her? No, I don't see it. One sandal is off. you know, maybe three feet away from her. Okay, flag that officer down. I'm gonna let you go. Okay. You meet with him right now, okay? Okay. Thank you. Police and EMS arrived at the scene, and Bella was transported to the Pro Health Walk Waukesha Memorial Hospital, where she immediately underwent a six-hour emergency surgery. Bella suffered stab wounds to her arms, legs, torso, liver, and stomach, with the stab wounds piercing the aforementioned arteries. One of her stab wound one of her stab wounds was said to be less than a human hair's width away from her heart. Had that moved any closer? She would not have lived. Like it couldn't even go just a nanometer closer. And that's what saved her life. Now that the deed had been done, Anisa and Morgan, they are just walking and walking. I'm walking, I'm walking, I'm walking. And according to the lore, you have to keep walking forward until you can't go anymore, until you're out of Waukesha in order to find him, the slender man. So they're walking and walking in the direction of the Nicolay Forest, which is where they believe Slender Man's Mansion to be located. Spoiler alert, they would have never made it because the Nicolay Forest is a five-hour drive, 200 miles from where they were located. So they're walking for what seems like an eternity. And Anisa's like, Morgan, girl, I am tired. I cannot do this anymore. We need to go home. I need to call my mom. And Morgan's just like, no, you cannot. If we go home, we're going to jail for life. And we can likely be given the death penalty, which means we're going to be executed. We've come this far forward with the plan because all we're going back home to is jail time. And so this was the only way to get past what they had done in their minds. Anissa at this point, she breaks down and baby girl is hysterical. And at This point she's pointing the finger at Morgan. She's like, You stabbed her. You wanted to do this. This was your idea. And Megan loses her absolute marbles and she breaks down crying because she's like, This is not what I wanted. This is what's this is what he wanted. Like you're acting like we did not plan this out together. This was the plan, the Slender Man plan. So Morgan then turns to what she knows and she's like, Slender, if you're listening, please help us. And Anisa's just sitting here like, nothing's happening, girl. Nothing is happening. But maybe we're not close enough. So let's keep walking. So they keep walking forward. And by now it's been five hours since the stabbing. And the officers locate the two walking along Interstate 94 in Waukesha County. They were picked up by Lieutenant Tom Mormon and were 4.9 miles from where the stabbing occurred. So in all of that walking in five hours, they had only made it 4.9 miles. I would have been devastated. I'd be like, that's it. That's that's it. That's that's how far I got. Upon being apprehended, Morgan turns to him and tells him, like, Lieutenant, I'm scared. I'm like really scared. And he's just like, Okay, but what are you afraid of? And she goes, I can't tell you. You're gonna think I'm crazy. And he's like, Sweetheart, in my line of work, I don't think anyone is crazy. And this must have provided some trust between them because Morgan spills and tells him everything. Me personally, Kiana Amir, I would have asked for my mama. So the two are then taken down to the police station and they're both interviewed separately. And watching Anisa's interview truly broke my heart because you could tell she was really afraid of something. Whether it was the Slender Man or Jail Time, I don't know, but she was visibly scared. She was visibly shaking up. And I don't think she stopped crying for the entirety of that interview, or at least in the parts that I watched. Also, she was being interviewed alone without parental consent. When asked why her parents were not contacted or given the opportunity to be in the room with her, the investigator answered simply because it was not an option. She was not even offered a phone call. Anissa told investigators everything she knew from the planning to the act to what they were expecting to happen afterward. Anissa even drafted a note in her phone to explain to her family why she had not returned home that read, quote, This is my final wish to those who care. Do not grieve my absence. But remember me for who I was. I love and cherish you all and wouldn't do you harm. Anisa did take accountability in that she admitted that this may not have happened if she had not introduced Morgan to creepy pastas, thus introducing Morgan to the slender man concept. Morgan, during her interview, she was more composed, but she did ask about Bella. She was just like, is she dead? Like, and he they're just like, who? And she's like, Bella, the one he wanted. But even in her case, it was like watching the footage from their interviews, you can tell, like they looked, they seemed very off. They didn't just seem like two preteens that were just lying about the whole thing. They seemed genuinely scared of what Slender Man was going to do to them. Because remember, if they had not in in their narrative, in the lore, if they had not gone through with this, then Slender Man was gonna come for them and their family. So to them, they're just like, we did this to save people. And the police are just like, no, you didn't. You tried to kill Bella. And they're just like, but no, you don't understand. Like, we saved our families, you know? And so Morgan's being questioned, and she tells the police, the bad part of me wanted her to die, but the good part of me wanted her to live. During her interview, Morgan also told Detective Casey. Who is the detective that was interviewing her? That she didn't want to do it, but she was afraid of what would happen if she did not go through with the sacrifice. The most heartbreaking part though of Morgan's interview was if she asked Detective Casey straight up, she was like, Are you gonna send me to jail to rot and die? Anisa also admitted to investigators that she believed that if they did not complete the act, Slender Man would come for her families. And that theory alone terrified her. Bella spent around 10 days in the hospital and the community truly rallied behind her and her family. The creator of Slender Man issued a public apology, and on June 13th through 14th, 2014, Creepy Pastas held a 24-hour live stream to raise money for her. Additionally, on August 13th, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker issued a proclamation for Purple Hearts for Healing Day, in which people would wear purple to honor Bella. He also praised the strength and determination that she exhibited during her recovery. On August 29th, the city of Madison held a one-day Bratwurst festival to honor her. Hot dogs and Bratwurst were sold to raise money for her medical bills. The event, run by 250 volunteers, raised over $70,000. Bella returned to school in September 2014. Both Morgan and Anisa were charged with attempted first-degree murder and tried as adults. They were tried as adults due to strict Wisconsin state law regarding severe violent crimes. Under Wisconsin law, any juvenile who is at least 10 years old and is charged with first degree intentional homicide or attempted first degree intentional homicide is automatically placed in an adult criminal court. Anissa was represented by attorneys Joseph Smith and Maura McMahon, and Morgan was represented by attorneys Anthony Cotton and Donna Kuchler. And their defense attorneys fought tooth and nail. To have them tried in juvenile court under the reverse waiver hearing. They reasoned with the judge that the girls could not receive adequate mental health treatment in the adult system. Transferring the case would not depreciate the seriousness of the crime, and the juvenile system possessed enough protection from the public. Judge Michael Boren was the presiding judge over the case, and he denied their motion swiftly based on several factors. Number one, public safety. He said that the crime was highly calculated and premeditated, which it was. He felt that the juvenile system, which only has jurisdiction for offenders until they turn 18 or 25, depending on the program, would not provide enough time to guarantee public safety. Number two, based on the severity of the attack, the absolute violence of the stabbing combined with the fact that Bella came within a millimeter. And a millimeter is putting it nice, like that's giving a lot of grace. She came within a millimeter of losing her life, meant the judge viewed the crime as too severe for juvenile penalties. Number three, he felt like they needed long-term treatment. Because both girls suffered from deep, severe delusions, the judge believed that they required long-term, highly structured mental health treatment that would extend far past their teenage years. He reasoned that by trying them in adult court, the state ensured that if the girls were found guilty, The legal system could maintain supervision over them for decades to come. While awaiting trial, Morgan was evaluated by a court-appointed psychologist, Dr. Kenneth Casimir. She told him that she could see things that others could not. And the correction officers at her facility backed that right on up. They reported to her attorneys that Morgan frequently talked to herself. She pretended to be a cat. She kept ants as pets. She reported seeing unicorns and having ongoing conversations with Slender Man and other fictional characters, such as what's it called? Dr. Snape. Is it Dr. Snape from Harry Potter? Voldemort. And she said one of the teenage mutant ninja turtles, they were apparently her friends. Like you name it, the ghosts and ghouls all made themselves present to her. Her mother also mentioned that sometimes she would be talking to Morgan on the phone, and Morgan would say stuff like, I want to watch what I want to watch on TV, but they won't let me. Mind you, Morgan had her own room. She shared a room with no one. She had her own TV. So it's just like, who won't let you watch TV, sweetheart? Because it's only you here, right? After Morgan's evaluation, Morgan was diagnosed with early onset schizophrenia, which truly came as a surprise to her parents. Like as everything came out and as she's being evaluated, as she's going through all these things, her parents are just like, We didn't know any of this. Like she did not let her parents know that she was seeing you know, creatures or things since she was younger. She like they had no idea that she was really dealing with this since she was about three years old. Anissa was evaluated by Dr. Michael Caldwell, who basically said, Baby girl, ain't nothing wrong with you. You're fine. You are just in the fantasy of Morgan. In August 2017, Anissa pled guilty To second degree attempted murder. In October 2017, Morgan pled guilty to first degree attempted murder. However, both girls were found not guilty by the jury by reason of mental insanity. In 2017, Anissa was sentenced to serve a minimum of 25 years, with at least the first three being served in solitary confinement and involuntary treatment in a state psychiatry institute. Followed by communal supervision until the age of 37. In 2018, Morgan was sentenced to 40 years under mental health facility supervision. She will periodically have the opportunity to petition for her release in the future, but she will also remain under institutional care for the duration of her sentence. She was sent to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute, which is a state-run psych hospital located near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, making her their youngest patient. They were ordered to have no contact with each other and no internet interactions. The woods that Bella's stabbing occurred in, those were completely cleared. Trees, bulldozed, flattened everything. Like they got it all up out of there. Which brings me to where are they now? Following their story and trial, Morgan and Anisa kind of became highly respected in the Slender Man community, with tons of fan fiction and art supporting their cause online. Days after Bella's stabbing, a woman reported that her 13-year-old daughter, who was obsessed with the slender man, stabbed her in Cincinnati, Ohio. On September 4, 2014, a 14-year-old girl in Port Ritchie, Florida, set her family's house on fire with her mother and nine-year-old brother still inside. She too was a fan of Slender Man trying to appease him. The Slender Man character was also linked to the 2014 Las Vegas shootings, as the perpetrators sometimes cosplayed as him. Morgan and Anisa's story also influenced the season 14 Criminal Minds episode called, quote, Tall Man. There's also a whole Facebook page in support of Megan, but that's not why we're here. We are here because we want to know how is our girl Bella following Bella's recovery, Her parents made it clear that they did not want her involved in the things of the slender man. They kept her out of the documentary, which is on HBO Max for those of you that are interested. And from any interviews that she could and from any interviews so that she can focus on healing and regaining some normalcy in her childhood. I'm sure they were holding her so close they got white knuckles. And honestly, I do not blame them a bit. I respect them fully for keeping her private life private, and I'm not trying to and and not trying to make money off her story. Bella struggled mentally and emotionally after the stabbing and refused to form relationships with anyone, even keeping her own family at arm's length. For a while, she slept with broken scissors under her pillow for safety and also admitted to spending many nights sleeping with her mom. She went through counseling, therapy, and various medical follow-ups, but the scars remained physically and emotionally. In a 2019 interview, Bella stated that she had grown accustomed to the scars and that they are a part of her story. She also mentioned that due to her encounter, she was considering a career in the medical field since she was always in the hospital, to be honest. Following her parents' initial stance, Bella continues to keep her private life. private and shies away from the spotlight to focus on her personal growth and development. When asked how she feels about Morgan now, in a statement, she said, quote, I would probably initially thank her. I would say just because of what she did, I have the life I have now. I really, really like it. And I have a plan. I didn't have a plan when I was 12. And now I do because of everything that I went through. I wouldn't think that someone who went through what I did would ever say that, but that's truly how I feel. Without the whole situation, I wouldn't be who I am. End quote. Bella's mom also shared similar sentiments. she says that she often thinks about Anisa and Morgan's parents and how they're holding up in the midst of of really it all. Anisa, like Morgan, she was taken to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. And I wonder how that worked though, because I thought part of their sentencing was no contact. And it's like, can you really have no contact if you both live in the same place? Regardless. She served her time and applied for a conditional release in March 2021, almost seven years after the attack on Bella. At a hearing on March 10th, 2021, more Anissa, who was 19 at the time, submitted a letter to the court stating that she was so sorry and deeply regretful for the agony, pain, and fear that she has caused, not just to Bella, but to her community as well. She said, quote, I hate my actions from May 31st, 2014, but through countless hours of therapies, I no longer hate myself for them. On July 1st, 2021, Waukasha County Judge Michael Bolren ordered her release from the Winnebago Institute and gave state officials 60 days to draft a conditional release plan that required that Anisa be assigned to case managers with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and to supervise her progress until she is 37 years old. Which was the initial length of her commitment. So, in layman's terms, she's basically gonna be on supervision until she's 37. On September 13th, 2021, Anisa was released with multiple stipulations, including a 24-hour GPS ankle monitoring that required her to at least request permission before leaving Waukasha County and no contact with Bella until at least 2039. Bella's family was reasonably comfortable with these restrictions, but wish she had served a longer sentence. Anissa's internet use is restricted and monitored, and she is not allowed to use any form of social media, so you will not be finding her there. Anissa is required to take court-mandated psychiatric medication and is escorted to regular counseling sessions by a caseworker. She's required to live with her father while under supervision until the age of 37 years old. On September 11, 2023, the GPS stipulation placed on Anissa was waived, and she basically faded into existence. Like she's still around, we know she's still around, she knows she's still around, but for the sake of a lot, she stays out of the public eye. In 2020, Morgan petitioned an appeals court to be retried as a juvenile but was denied. Her attorney argued that the charges should have been attempted second-degree intentional homicide rather than first degree. And that Morgan made statements to investigators before she was read her Miranda rights. A petition to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review the ruling was declined in 2021. In January 2024, Morgan, who was 21 at the time, petitioned to be released from the Winnebago Institute. A judge denied this request at an April 2024 hearing. Morgan applied for conditional release in 2025. Her application for conditional release in January 2025 was approved after three psychologists noted considerable progress in her treatment. In February 2025, Morgan's hearing for possible release was canceled due to new allegations that she had engaged in violent communication with a man outside the facility and had read a book featuring themes of sexual sadism and murder. Morgan's lawyer was just like, she didn't do none of that. The three psychologists testified. That the allegations did not change their opinion that she was well enough to be released. A new hearing was set for March 24, 2025, and then on April 28, 2025. And then finally on July 17, 2025, a judge signed a conditional plan to release Morgan, who was 23. Morgan was scheduled to live in a group home and remain under supervision until 2058. She was also ordered to undergo periodic reevaluations to identify any need for further treatment or institutionalization. Details of the plan and date of her release were not shared in court because that's her business and they want her business to stay her business. Officials found difficulty in placing Morgan in a group home. Her initial placement in Milwaukee was denied due to its close proximity to Bella and Bella's family. A second attempt at a, and I'm going to screw this up, I know it, at a Manitowak group home. was also denied due to the building being too isolated and residents close to the group home were just like, y'all not about to put her here. Like y'all not about to send her here. That's we're not doing that. Not in our neighborhood. Not on our cul-de-sac. I I the devil is a liar. Now Morgan's attorney said that Morgan has remained calm and stable despite the events and she's always maintained a positive attitude. She was later successfully housed at a group home in Madison, Wisconsin, until November twenty third, two thousand twenty-five. So let me get into that tea because I don't know if they do like roll calls at group homes. I've I've told y'all multiple times about my time on the psych ward. And I know that every evening they'd be like, Kiana, present. My roommate's name was it was an older lady. It wasn't Brenda. Brenda was we used to call her Bitchy Brenda. But there was another lady. Let's call her Eva. Kiana, you here? Yep. Eva, you here? I remember one time during roll call, I was Using the bathroom and they had come in and I didn't hear them. And literally, like the Calvary came looking for me because they were just like, Where are you? And I was just like peeing, like a girl can't piss. Come on. Anyways, so Morgan, they noticed that she was missing at 8 a.m. on November 23rd, 2025. She cut off her ankle monitor and disappeared without a trace. The following day, local police in Posen, Illinois found Morgan and an acquaintance sleeping outside a Thornton's gas station along Interstate 57, which was nearly 200 miles away. What's up with this 200 miles number that they keep going with? So Morgan and her little friend Friend initially identified themselves to police as Stephanie Grise and Charles Robertson. However, they later gave their legal names after being pressured. And as the story goes, Morgan had, like I said, befriended little friend friend, and they met at a church in Madison a few months after her release. And so Morgan is complaining to her little friend friend who is unnamed in all the reports. And she's just like, I'm so tired of this. Like they're mistreating me in this group home. And so her little friend friend was just like, you know, it's crazy because every time I come see you, they always tell me I can't come see you. And why can't I come see you when I want to come see you? So allegedly. Her little friend friend snuck into the group home on multiple occasions to visit Morgan. And on these occasions, they developed a plan to escape to Nashville, Tennessee by bus. So once her little friend friend got her out of the group home, they met in the church parking lot and took a bus to Chicago and then another bus to pose in. And that's where they ran out of money and became homeless. And so they stopped at this truck stop, I guess, and that's where they went to sleep because they were out of money. Now, Morgan's little friend friend was charged with criminal trespassing and obstructing identification, but was quickly released from custody because I guess they didn't have any priors or whatever. Morgan, however, she was placed back into custody and her conditional release was revolt. So she is currently awaiting her fate in how much time she's gonna serve. And her next hearing is in November. But if you ask my opinion, I think they just need to keep her in a leap. Bit longer. Just a little bit, friend. Because you you cutting up. Which brings me to my final thoughts. Honey, y'all put me on a roller coaster ride with this one. Usually I feel like by this point in the story, I have gained my bearings. Usually I'm just like, okay, this is the clear victim. This is the clear. And granted, there is only one clear victim in this story. Episode. It's Bella. And thank God that Bella made it out alive. And I know that you know, she had to go through surgery. She had to, you know, she went through a ton of recovery, you know, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, physically. Like she went through it all. But I'm thankful that she's here. One thing I can appreciate about this story is that Morgan and Anisa stayed ten toes down behind each other. We ride together, we die together, bad boys for life. Because as we know by now, most of the friends turn on each other when they get caught. And I can truly appreciate the fact that they really stuck beside each other. Like, yeah, there was a little finger pointing, but they were just like, Yeah, we did this together. And they were honest about their each of their involvements in it. Like nobody was pointing the finger at the other person. Bella's parents. They are saints because I would be advocating for life no parole for Morgan and Anisa. Because what do you mean you tried to kill my child? But honestly, I do and call me cuckoo crazy, but I really do believe that they were afraid of the slender man. And I believe that they believed he was real. And I believe that they pushed past fear because both of them acknowledged multiple times that they didn't want to do this. But they were just like, if we don't take her, he's going to take us. And the thing about those fears is that irrational or not, if you put enough of that energy out into the universe, it's gonna come back to bite you. And so I really do feel like they were afraid. It does not excuse what they did. I do feel like they should have talked to adults. I feel like they should have been like, listen, mom, listen, dad, because both of them had parents that by all accounts were willing to listen. And I feel like had Morgan expressed what she was going through to her parents, they would have been able to better help her prior to this tragedy happening. Like I said, I thank God that Bella survived because I mean, how many stories have we been through now where they didn't? You know, Elise Poller is one of them. Like, you know, they looked for her for a year in those woods and she was just in a shallow grave. so I'm I'm thankful and I'm just relieved that Bella made it. And I do believe that Anisa and Morgan were genuinely afraid. And I do feel like their sentences were fair. Like they're basically not going to be able to sneeze without somebody. Morgan more so than Anisa. Like, Morgan, baby, you had a conditional release. You are released to a group home. Just stay in your group home. And is a group home the place you wanna be? No. I don't know much about group homes. It just seems like an awful place. But that beats being in prison, which is what you're gonna do to yourself if you keep pulling these shenanigans. I do believe that there are mentally things going on with Morgan and my heart hurts for her because when you're like your mind is the hardest thing to overcome. Like how many times have you heard someone say, you know, you gotta watch your mindset, you gotta shift your mindset. That's cause whatever your brain believes is your reality. Except for the fact that I keep telling my brain that I'm wealthy and I'm just wondering when that's gonna be my reality, but you know what I'm saying. so I do feel like she believed it with her whole heart. I just don't feel like that absolves her of her responsibility in this. And I do feel like they should keep her a little bit longer. Now, like I said, Anisa, she tucked her head down and she moved on. And I think that's great for her. I just fear that she's not gonna be able to have a normal life because Everyone knows who she is. She's Anisa Wire. Unless she changes her name and like distances herself from everybody, which I don't think she can do because one of the things, like, I know somebody that's going through a name change now, and you have to prove that you're not crazy. You have to prove that you're not a criminal. Like, they don't just let you sweep it under the rug. And so I do realize that her life will be forever changed by this. I do realize that Morgan's life is forever changed by this. But one thing that is really refreshing is the fact that even though Bella's family is just like, yes, they did this. Yes, they need to be held accountable. Like we're not gonna absolve them from that. We also acknowledge that there is a deeper issue here and we're willing to allow those issues to be fixed, you know? And I can really appreciate that 'cause they really could just really not give a care. But they do. And so that's the end of our story. Drop a line in the comments. Let me know what you guys thought. Like This was actually crazy. Like, like I said, before I even heard about this, because this just popped up on my computer. I had you know, my kids, they they played games. So they had already told me about the Slender Man. We watched the Slender Man movie, but I couldn't imagine, you know, my kids saying, like, No mom, I'm really afraid of this entity. Like, I feel like if I don't do something, he's gonna kill me. I probably would have them committed. I'll be like, listen, I hear you and I believe what you're saying is real. And that is why we're gonna put you in this safe place. Cause he can't get you there, right? Or at least we hope. I don't really know. Cause like I said, that movie was boring. Follow me. Follow me. On TikTok, Minor Mischief Pod on Instagram, Minor Mischief Podcast. If you have any case suggestions. Wanna talk, wanna chat, wanna kiki, wanna cackle a little bit with me, send me an email, minor mischiefpodcast at gmail.com. Thank you guys for listening. Like I said, today's story was a doozy and I feel like I was talking crazy fast, but y'all, mama has a headache. I'm ready to take it on down. But I have a commitment, right? And I'm gonna push out an episode every week, regardless. So I love you guys to life. Thank you for tuning in. And until next week, I'll see you guys same day of the week and stay mischievous, friends.