Where Is Payton Leutner Now? Here's What Happened to the Slender Man Stabbing Survivor

Payton Leutner was only 12 years old when her friends, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, attempted to kill her

NEED TO KNOW

• Payton Leutner was stabbed 19 times by her friends, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, in 2014
• Geyser and Weier both claimed that they were told to kill Leutner by the mythical horror figure, Slender Man
• Leutner survived the attack and has gone on to attend college to pursue a career in the medical field

It's been over a decade since Payton Leutner survived a brutal attack at the hands of two of her close friends.

On May 31, 2014, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier lured Leutner into the woods in Waukesha, Wis., under the pretense of playing hide-and-seek. Instead, they stabbed her 19 times and left her to die. But the 12-year-old girl managed to pull herself to a path where a local cyclist found her and got her medical attention. Leutner survived after hours of surgery.

Police later apprehended Geyser and Weier, who explained that they stabbed Leutner to please the fictional horror figure, Slender Man. Geyser and Weier had become obsessed with the mythical villain, whom they believed was real and claimed they were "proxies" for him.

Geyser and Weier were each charged with first-degree attempted homicide as adults. Weier pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted homicide, while Geyser pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted homicide. Both Geyser and Weier were later found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and were sentenced to a maximum of 25 to 40 years in a psychiatric facility.

While it took months for Leutner to heal from the brutal attack, she has tried her best to move on and reflect on the ordeal. In October 2019, Leutner spoke about the attack for the first time in an interview with 20/20, in which she revealed that she had gained important perspective from the incident.

Here's everything to know about where Payton Leutner is now, years after her friends Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier tried to kill her.

Leutner was 12 years old when she was stabbed by her friends, Geyser and Weier

Leutner, Geyser and Weier had all slept over at Geyser’s house to celebrate her 12th birthday on May 30, 2014. The morning after, Geyser and Weier convinced Leutner to play hide-and-seek in the park near her house in Waukesha.

While Leutner was hiding, they pinned her down and stabbed her 19 times with a kitchen knife from Geyser's home. Geyser reportedly stabbed her while Weier watched. They told Leutner that they would get help, but left her for dead.

Leutner survived by crawling to a nearby path where someone saw her and called 911. Both Geyser and Weier were arrested and confessed to trying to kill her. They later claimed that the fictional horror character, Slender Man, had told them to kill Leutner as his "proxies."

Leutner spent months recovering both physically and emotionally

After she was found, Leutner was rushed to the ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital and spent six hours in emergency surgery, per ABC News.

She suffered from stab wounds on her arms, legs, torso and diaphragm. While some of them were more superficial, one hit her liver and stomach, while another hit her heart and barely missed her artery.

"If the knife had gone the width of a human hair further, she wouldn't have lived," Dr. John Kelemen, who operated on Leutner, told ABC News in 2014.

Leutner was subsequently hospitalized for 10 days, and even after she was released, she spent months visiting the hospital to fully recover.

In addition to healing her physical wounds, she also had to emotionally recover through counseling. Leutner told 20/20 that she was still scared after the attack and slept with her mother at night.

Her mom, Stacie Leutner, told the outlet that she has struggled with trusting new friends and familiar family members alike.

"She has friends, but initially, even with those friends, she kept them at arm's length," Stacie shared. "And for a long time, even trusting family members was hard for her."

Geyser and Weier were committed to psychiatric facilities

Shortly after police began investigating the attempted homicide, they found Weier and Geyser walking on the side of the road. Both girls were reportedly acting "normal" when they were found, with Geyser covered in blood, Waukesha Police Detective Tom Casey recalled to 20/20.

Geyser later told police in the interrogation, "I might as well just say it. We were trying to kill her."

Both Geyser and Weier were arrested and faced adult charges. Geyser was charged with attempted first-degree homicide, while Weier was charged with attempted second-degree homicide.

Weier pleaded guilty to her charge in August 2017 and was later found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. She was sentenced to a maximum of 25 years in a psychiatric facility.

In March 2021, she applied for conditional release and was released from Winnebago Mental Health Institute in Oshkosh, Wis., in September 2021.

Meanwhile, Geyser also pleaded guilty in October 2017 and alleged that she suffered from schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorder. She was also found not guilty by reason of mental disease or disorder and was sentenced to 40 years in a psychiatric hospital.

In July 2025, Geyser was released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute under the condition of her wearing a monitoring bracelet and living at a supervised group home.

Leutner has said she still has her guard up, but tries to focus on the positive

Leutner has mostly lived a private life since the traumatizing ordeal, but she shared rare insight about her reflections on the incident in an October 2019 interview with 20/20.

In addition to sleeping with her mom, she revealed that, at the time, she slept with a pair of broken scissors under the pillow next to her "just in case." However, when asked what she'd like Geyser to know about her, she had an unexpected answer.

"I would probably, initially thank her," Leutner said. "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.' "

She added, "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."

As for what she thinks of her former friends, she said that she does "not think much of them" and thinks "they will probably go away and fade eventually."

She attended college and is studying to be a therapist

Despite enduring a near-death experience, Leutner returned to school and went on to attend high school and college, enrolling in several honors classes.

She told 20/20 that she has plans to pursue a career in the medical field, which became a passion for her after her attack.

Leutner also expressed gratitude for people who have helped her over the years and is "very grateful for all of the love and support" she's received from strangers and friends alike.

She reiterated that her goal moving forward is to "put everything behind me and live my life normally."

Steve Lyons, president of SJL Government Affairs and Communication and spokesperson for the Leutner family, told PEOPLE in October 2019 that Leutner has "gone from a 12-year-old victim of a horrific crime to a 17-year-old survivor."

Leutner confirmed she was safe when Geyser cut off her ankle monitor and briefly went missing in November 2025

While Geyser was living in a group home by Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services, she fled the home after cutting off her monitored bracelet in November 2025.

Geyser, who was 22 years old at the time, was last seen around 8 p.m. local time with "an adult acquaintance," the Madison Police Department said.

The following day, Geyser was located and was "taken into custody in the state of Illinois," the MPD released in a statement.

Before Geyser was found, a spokesperson for Leutner and her family confirmed that she was safe.

"Payton Leutner and her family [are] aware of the most recent situation regarding Morgan Geyser. Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety," the family told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in a statement.

They continued, "The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement entities involved in the efforts to apprehend Morgan. The Leutner family also wish to thank the outpouring of support from family, friends and well-wishers who have contacted them during this difficult time."

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