Inside the Disturbing 'Slender Man' Stabbings of Wisconsin

[00:00:00]A childhood game of hideand seek nearly ends in a 12-year-old's murder.

[00:00:04]>> Is are you with this 12-year-old female?

[00:00:06]>> Yeah. She says she's having trouble breathing.

[00:00:09]>> She said she was stabbed multiple times.

[00:00:12]>> Stabbed multiple times.

[00:00:14]>> Yes. She's alert.

[00:00:16]>> Okay. Stay with her. We're sending the police department.

[00:00:19]>> As officers race to [music] find who left a child for dead in the woods, the investigation takes a shocking turn. The suspects are also children and they're the victim's friends. Or so she thought.

[00:00:31]>> She got the knife from her house. We asked her mom if we could play outside and her at the park and her mom said sure.

[00:00:41]>> Who had who stabbed her first?

[00:00:44]>> I think um he stabbed her first and then I continued and then like she was like, "Morgan, make sure she doesn't escape."

[00:00:51]And then it was like, uh, >> how could two pre-teen girls orchestrate a crime so disturbing? Their answer, [music] they did it to prove themselves to someone or something.

[00:01:03]>> Anisha told me we had to.

[00:01:05]>> Why?

[00:01:06]>> Because she said that he'd kill our families.

[00:01:09]>> I wanted proof that he existed. Cuz there were a bunch of skeptics out there saying that he didn't exist. In this episode, we uncover how a childhood fantasy collided with a very real crime and why more than a decade later, this case [music] continues to make headlines.

[00:01:24]>> Um, I'm calling regarding one of my residents.

[00:01:27]>> Okay. And what is her first last name?

[00:01:30]>> Morgan Geyser.

[00:01:31]>> What's your last name?

[00:01:32]>> Okay. So, it's >> M O R G A N Y S E R.

[00:01:37]>> Welcome to Female Criminals. I'm Elizabeth Milner.

[00:01:48]Wakaawa, Wisconsin. That's where we meet this week's female criminals, Ana Wire and Morgan Geyser. Ana was born on November 10th, 2001. Morgan, May 16th of 2002. Those who knew Morgan Geyser growing up describe her as extremely smart, imaginative, and quirky. But in elementary school, she's considered an outcast. She doesn't have many friends.

[00:02:11]That changes in the fourth grade when one of her classmates notices her sitting by herself. Her classmates name is Payton Lner and Payton doesn't think anyone should have to sit by themselves.

[00:02:21]So, she sits next to Morgan and the two girls hit it off instantly. They would draw, play outside together, and have sleepovers. Payton considers Morgan a best friend. And Morgan considers Payton as her only friend. But by the time the girls are in the sixth grade, that's when Ana Wire enters the picture. It was around the sixth grade when Ana moved into the same apartment complex as Morgan Geyser. The two would see each other everyday on the school bus and they become friends. Ana and Morgan's bond was interesting to [music] say the least. They weren't into girly pop things like dolls or boy bands. Instead, they bond over horror stories they find on the internet. Ana and Morgan develop an interest in something called creepy pasta. Creepy pastas are essentially urban legends or scary stories which are shared and copied around the internet.

[00:03:08]There's one particular legend Ana and Morgan take a special interest in.

[00:03:13]Slender Man. [music] Slender Man is a faceless fictional character, but Morgan and Anise are obsessed with him as if he's real. Payton, however, isn't a fan at all. She thinks this horror stuff is pretty scary. Payton also begins to notice a change in Morgan following her new friendship with Ana. Payton thinks Ana is cruel and possibly jealous of her friendship with Morgan. Still, she puts up with Ana. Remember, the girls are in middle school. I think any girl can tell you they've experienced friendship drama like this before. However, the friendship between Ana and Morgan was different. By May of 2014, they had created something far more sinister than ordinary middle school drama. United by a shared obsession, they had become dangerous. On May 30th of 2014, Morgan, Ana, and Payton come together to celebrate Morgan's 12th birthday. It starts out pretty normal. The girls enjoy a night at their local roller rink. They grab frozen yogurt. Then, the girls spend the rest of their night at Morgan's house for a slumber party. When the girls wake up the following morning, Morgan asked her mom if she and the girls can go to a nearby park. Normally, Morgan isn't allowed to go there without an adult, but since it was her birthday party and Morgan would be with her friends, her mom gives the okay for the girls to go on their own. Morgan and Ana want Payton to play hide-and-seek. They walk deep into the woods of David's Park in Walka. They tell Payton to lie on the ground and cover herself in leaves.

[00:04:33]Payton believes she's playing a game, but what happens next is anything but a game.

[00:04:40]>> What's the address of your emergency?

[00:04:42]>> Upon a 12-year-old female, she appears to be stabbed.

[00:04:45]>> She appears to be what?

[00:04:47]>> Stabbed.

[00:04:47]>> Stabbed.

[00:04:48]>> You're listening to the voice of Greg Steinberg. He's a bicyclist who was passing David's Park when he noticed a girl crawling out of the woods covered in blood.

[00:04:57]>> Are you with this 12-year-old female?

[00:04:59]>> Yes. She says she's having trouble breathing. She said she was stabbed multiple times.

[00:05:05]>> Stabbed multiple times.

[00:05:07]>> Yes.

[00:05:08]>> Okay. Sir, are you with her right now?

[00:05:10]>> Yes.

[00:05:10]>> Is she awake?

[00:05:12]>> She's awake.

[00:05:13]>> Is she breathing?

[00:05:14]>> Yeah, she's breathing. She said she can take shallow breaths. She's alert.

[00:05:20]>> Okay. You stay with her. We're sending the police department. Don't hang up.

[00:05:23]Okay.

[00:05:24]>> Hold on just a minute. Don't hang up.

[00:05:26]>> Okay.

[00:05:27]>> Okay. Hold on just a minute, sir. We're sending officers. Is there any asalent around?

[00:05:32]>> Uh, I didn't even look. I don't see anybody.

[00:05:35]>> The victim is not named in court documents, but we know who she is.

[00:05:39]12-year-old Payton Lner.

[00:05:41]>> Who did that to you?

[00:05:43]Why don't you want to talk?

[00:05:47]Well, you could better not stop talking and don't talk with your energy.

[00:05:51]>> The 911 call ends as soon as police arrive. Payton is rushed to the hospital. Doctors soon discover the full extent of her injuries. She had been stabbed [music] 19 times. She nearly died, but against all odds, she survives. As doctors treat Payton, police search for answers. Remember, Payton didn't enter the woods by herself. She tells police she was with her two supposed friends, Ana Wire and Morgan Geyser. So where are they? 5 hours after the attack, Wakaaw police officers find the girls near a furniture store along Interstate 94. They find something else, too, in a bag. They were carrying a bloody knife. Morgan and Ana are both brought to the police station.

[00:06:32]They're placed in separate interview rooms away from each other. Throughout both interrogations, Morgan and Ana refer to Payton as Bella, a nickname she used to go by. Detectives need to understand what happened in the woods.

[00:06:44]Morgan has a chilling answer. This was something they had been planning for months.

[00:06:49]>> We played on the side for a little bit and we went in the bathroom and then we were singing songs.

[00:07:03]>> Then what?

[00:07:03]>> And then suggested that we go for a walk.

[00:07:11]Okay.

[00:07:12]>> And then she jumped on Bella and she held her to the floor.

[00:07:22]>> Where did you guys get the knife from?

[00:07:24]>> My kitchen.

[00:07:26]>> Your kitchen?

[00:07:27]>> Ana did.

[00:07:29]>> So, who left the house with that?

[00:07:31]>> I think Ana did. It was in the bag.

[00:07:36]Ana packed the bag. We both packed today.

[00:07:42]>> We knew about this since since December.

[00:07:45]One day she just told me that we had to.

[00:07:48]>> What do you mean she told you to?

[00:07:50]>> I mean she told us we had to kill her.

[00:07:52]>> Who did?

[00:07:53]>> Ana.

[00:07:54]>> When she says us, what do you mean us?

[00:07:56]Who's us?

[00:07:58]>> Um, >> the two You mean the two of you or somebody else?

[00:08:02]>> There's uh nobody else.

[00:08:12]So, you guys been playing this a while?

[00:08:15]>> Since December.

[00:08:17]She was my best friend since fourth grade.

[00:08:19]>> Who was >> Payton?

[00:08:22]>> So, why did you pick Payton?

[00:08:24]>> I didn't pick her.

[00:08:26]>> Who picked her?

[00:08:28]>> Whoever Ana was talking about.

[00:08:37]She made it seem necessary and I figured if it was necessary then I would.

[00:08:45]>> So the person that talked to Ana told him what to do it.

[00:08:50]>> Yep.

[00:08:53]>> It was more of a message. I don't know.

[00:08:55]She didn't go very ind depth.

[00:09:01]So, what else have you guys been doing to plan for this? Just talking about it.

[00:09:07]The two of you. Has anybody else known about it?

[00:09:10]>> No.

[00:09:12]>> So, how did you know how to Were you guys What were you trying to do with her when you stabbed her?

[00:09:18]>> Kill her.

[00:09:22]>> I might as well just say it. We were trying to kill her.

[00:09:32]I don't know why it was necessary that it was her, but it seemed very necessary.

[00:09:43]>> This is going to get me arrested, isn't it?

[00:09:45]>> Perhaps Morgan believes that because she's 12 years old, she can't get arrested. The detective asked Morgan how she and Ana [music] got Payton to go into the woods. Morgan admits she tricked one of the few people she could actually call a friend. The >> last thing she said of me to to me was, "I trusted you."

[00:10:04]And then she said, "I hate you."

[00:10:13]And then we lied to her. Ana said that she'd go get help. I didn't have anything to do with the lying. Well, that was all Ana. She said we were going to go get >> How did you trick her to get down there?

[00:10:24]>> We said that we were going to go bird watching.

[00:10:32]People who trust you become very gullible.

[00:10:36]And it was sort of sad.

[00:10:40]>> Not like offensive. Well, that's sad, but it was sad to do this.

[00:10:46]>> So, you guys told me you're going down there to bird watch and then what happened?

[00:10:52]And then we said that we were going to play hide and seek and then Anita jumped her and it was like it happened really fast. I keep trying to forget >> who had who stabbed her first >> I think. Um and he stabbed her first and then I continued and then like she was like Morgan make sure she doesn't escape and then it was like uh >> So you think that it was an Anisha first?

[00:11:17]>> Mhm.

[00:11:20]You sure?

[00:11:21]>> Yeah.

[00:11:24]Not really.

[00:11:26]Sort of confusing because I've been trying to block out the screams all day.

[00:11:30]>> Throughout Morgan's police interview, she mentions a he. But who would tell two 12-year-old girls to stab another?

[00:11:37]Well, it's Ana who reveals who he is.

[00:11:41]>> So, there's this website called um the Creepy Basta Wiki. Okay.

[00:11:47]>> It's full of like horror stories that are meant to purposely scare you through like online literature and all that.

[00:11:54]>> Okay.

[00:11:55]>> And there's one of them called Slender Man. It's like really Slender Man.

[00:12:01]>> Slender.

[00:12:01]>> Slender Man.

[00:12:02]>> Oh, Slender Man. Skinny guy.

[00:12:04]>> Yeah.

[00:12:05]>> Okay.

[00:12:07]>> And um he had these proxies or servants as people call them.

[00:12:15]>> Okay. Asky and Hoodie and um Morgan said, "Hey, Ana, we should be proxies." And I was like, "Okay, how would we do that?" And that was around um end of December, beginning of January.

[00:12:35]>> Okay.

[00:12:37]And a proxy again, what is a proxy? It's like um a servant or like uh an apprentice. There are killers and proxies. Proxies are apprentices to killers, and killers are either by themselves or have proxies.

[00:12:57]>> Now, we know Slender Man is a fictional character created online, but Ana and Morgan didn't see it that way. They believed he's real, and they feared what could happen if they disobeyed him. All right. So, back in December or January, Morgan um told you like, "Hey, we we should be proxies type thing."

[00:13:15]>> Yeah.

[00:13:16]>> And and and said what? Like >> I said, "Okay, how would we do that?"

[00:13:21]And she said, "We have to kill Bella."

[00:13:25]>> Okay.

[00:13:27]Okay. And do you know why she said that?

[00:13:28]Like why is she? since we had to supposedly prove ourselves worthy to Slender.

[00:13:36]>> So today after everything happened with Bella when you guys were walking, you thought you saw Splender as she was after Morgan stabbed her.

[00:13:50]>> Okay. So you thought that possibly you would see this?

[00:13:54]>> Mhm.

[00:13:54]>> Okay.

[00:13:56]Okay. Did you think that you guys killed Morgan. Um, or I mean uh paint.

[00:14:03]>> Yeah. I had a total nervous breakdown and blamed Morgan for everything.

[00:14:10]I said you stabbed her. You wanted to do this. Look at what Morgan did. And Morgan is not one to cry very often.

[00:14:18]>> Mhm.

[00:14:19]>> And then finally she just let go and started crying. And then I just beat it to a bench cuz I was scared.

[00:14:29]>> Mhm.

[00:14:30]>> I was scared. And I was scared. A for myself and b for my family cuz um after we left Payton in the woods um close to the Mercy area that was nearby.

[00:14:49]She said, "Oh, and there was one thing I forgot to tell you. I kind of sort of made a deal with Slender saying that if I didn't saying that if we didn't kill uh Bella that he would either would or could kill our families and everything we love and I don't want that to happen. So that's why I did this.

[00:15:18]And then I got really scared then and started like speed walking and trying to get myself out of there. I even started like singing to myself to try to calm myself down.

[00:15:36]When Morgan said to you that if if we don't do this for Slender um our families are and loved ones are going to be killed, do you honestly believe that?

[00:15:47]Well, yeah, cuz he's he can be anywhere from 6 feet to 14 feet tall. He's, like I said, a tall guy who constantly wears a suit with a red tie. Um, he doesn't have a face. His skin is white and at his own will he can um like exploit these tendrils from his back and like strangle his victims from the creepy past when he said he targets children most.

[00:16:20]>> So I was really scared knowing that Slender could easily kill my whole family in 3 seconds.

[00:16:28]Did you ever talk about killing Bella in the bus at the birthday party?

[00:16:32]>> Uh, not very often. We did sometimes, but we made sure we whispered.

[00:16:40]>> And when you whispered, Why was that?

[00:16:43]>> So that nobody else would hear.

[00:16:46]Granted, the bus is really loud, but people are ease droppers.

[00:16:52]>> If somebody heard, what were you concerned if somebody heard?

[00:16:56]that we would be in prison for the rest of our life for pleading this.

[00:17:01]>> Bernice and Morgan, the fantasy is over.

[00:17:04]Now comes the part they can't escape, the consequences.

[00:17:08]>> On Saturday, May 31st, 2014, at approximately 9:50 a.m., the Walkshaw Police Department was notified by a concerned citizen that a 12-year-old girl was stabbed in the area of Big Ben Road in the city of Walka. Both suspects had a fascination with a fictitious character that often posted to a website that is a collection of small stories about death and horror. Based on our investigation, it is believed that the suspects had planned to kill the victim for several months. The three girls had a sleepover at the house of one of the suspects on Saturday night, May 30th. In the morning, the suspects went to David's Park and lured the victim into the woods near Big Ben Road, south of Rivera Drive to play a game. Once there, one suspect held the victim down while the other suspect stabbed her 19 times in the arms, legs, and torso. Many of the stab wounds struck major organs, but incredibly and thankfully, the victim survived this brutal assault. The details of this case leaves everyone in complete disbelief. Investigators ultimately determined Morgan stabbed Payton multiple times while Ana.

[00:18:22]How could two middle school girls commit a crime as shocking as this? The Wakaawa police chief has a warning every parent needs to hear.

[00:18:30]>> The internet has changed the way we live. It is full of information and wonderful sites that teach and entertain. The internet can also be full of dark and wicked things. It is also providing an opportunity for potential child predators to reach our children like never before. Unmonitored and unrestricted access to the internet by children is a growing and alarming problem.

[00:18:55]This should be a wakeup call for parents.

[00:18:57]>> Ana Wire and Morgan Geyser are each charged with firstdegree attempted homicide. The district attorney announces the case won't take place in juvenile court. The girls will be tried as adults. The case then draws international attention. While Ana and Morgan sit behind bars, Payton faces a different battle, recovery. She's released from the hospital one week after her near murder. While her physical wounds would eventually heal, her mental recovery would take much longer. Remember, Payton thought of Morgan as a friend, and now Morgan and her friend Ana are accused of stabbing her and leaving her in the woods to die.

[00:19:33]She bravely returns to school in the fall. But for years, Payton lives with trauma and fear. She would later admit in an interview she slept with broken scissors under her pillow because of what Morgan and Ana did to her. From 2014 to 2017, Morgan and Ana's cases work their way through the courts.

[00:19:50][music] Over the years, they're held at a secure juvenile detention center, but they also spend some stretches at state hospitals. Multiple competency evaluations are ordered to determine whether the girls can even stand trial.

[00:20:02]By 2017, one of their cases moves forward. Ana Wire pleads guilty to her charge with a twist. She pleads guilty to attempted secondderee intentional homicide, but not criminally responsible due to mental disease or defect. During the August 2017 plea hearing, Ana, who is now a teenager, tells the judge, "I believe that if I didn't go through with it, Slender Man would come and attack and kill myself, my friends, and my family." The court accepts her guilty plea, but her case will still go before a jury in what's considered the second phase of trial. During this phase, the jury will decide whether Ana will be sentenced to prison or a state mental health facility. Opening statements take place the following month. From the state's perspective, they believe Ana should be in prison. Wakaaw County Assistant District Attorney Kevin Osborne argues mental illness shouldn't give Ana a get out of jail free card.

[00:20:53]>> There are all kinds of mental diseases, Ethan.

[00:20:57]I dare say most people have them. But if we simply said all mental diseases or defects would result in a pass on criminal responsibility, the prisons would be empty because basically everybody has one. I'm afraid of heights. Is that a mental disease? Yes.

[00:21:11]Would it justify me doing things like the defendant did in this case?

[00:21:15]Absolutely not. You're going to hear evidence that they were planning this for months and months. It doesn't really have that immediacy the way I think of immediate. Secondly, you're going to hear that on the day this happened, the day they've decided to go through with this after planning it on the bus and for these months, Ana wakes up. The three girls are sleeping in the same room. The original plan was to get up in the middle of the night, kill Payton, and leave. And Ana wakes up at 1:30, tries to wake up Morgan, and Morgan's like, "Nah, it's too early.

[00:21:55]We're not going to do it right now."

[00:22:00]If they were really truly afraid of an immediate harm to themselves, or their families from a fictional character that apparently knows all and sees all, wouldn't they be thinking, "Oh, gez, if we don't get up now and do this, Slender Man's going to be mad."

[00:22:18]That's not what happens. They don't They go back to sleep. Morgan has the knife.

[00:22:24]Remember, we're supposed to believe that Morgan is the dominant character here who's leading Ana down the wrong path.

[00:22:30]And yet, it's in the woods.

[00:22:32][clears throat] In the woods, Morgan's got a knife. What does Ana do? Anise Morgan's holding back. She's waiting. Ana says, "Go berserk. Go for it." It's Ana, not Morgan, that initiates the final act.

[00:22:48]Morgan is the one that does the stabbing. I'm not denying that. But it's on Anie's command.

[00:22:53]>> The prosecution argues Ana participated in this brutal stabbing not to appease Slender Man, but Morgan Geyser.

[00:23:00]>> So then why did she do it? And I think the answer is in parts of Mr. Smith's opening statement.

[00:23:10]She doesn't have any.

[00:23:12]She's lonely. She's depressed. And all of a sudden, Morgan is her friend. And Morgan wants to do this.

[00:23:21]So, what does Ana do? She goes along because she wants to preserve her one and only friendship. Not because she's afraid, but because she's lonely and she wants something. She wants the friendship with Morgan, and she doesn't want it to end. She doesn't want a situation where Morgan says, "Well, if you're not going to help me, I don't want to be your friend anymore." Because that's all she's got. And she wants to be a proxy of Slender Man, which is different than being afraid that Slender Man is going to kill your family.

[00:23:53]>> Meanwhile, Ana's defense attorney, Joseph Smith, doesn't deny her role in the stabbing. Instead, he argues Ana suffered from undiagnosed mental health issues and delusions. The two believed that the only way that they could prevent that was for them to become proxies for Slenderman man.

[00:24:12]But to prove to Slenderman man that they were worthy to become proxies, they had to kill someone close to them.

[00:24:21]After doing so, they had to leave behind the families that they both loved and cherished and risk their fate at the hands of Slenderman.

[00:24:36]How did Ana become to believe this?

[00:24:40]Ana and Morgan discovered Slenderman on the internet in November of 2013.

[00:24:48]They were both 11 years old at that time.

[00:24:52]On Creepy Pasta Wiki, they learned that Slenderman is one of many characters that prey on primarily children.

[00:25:04]Along with Slender Man, there's Jeff the Killer and Zalgo to name a few.

[00:25:11]As they explored the wiki, they uncovered evidence that Jeff the Killer was real.

[00:25:17]One of the attractions of that creepy pasta wiki site is the intent on the part of the creator to make accounts of sliding sightings of Slender Man and characters like Jeff the Killer appear authentic.

[00:25:31]There are transcripts of police interviews of people who have seen Slender Man. There are transcripts of psychiatrist interviews of people that have seen Slender Man. On the wiki, Anissa and Morgan found videotape testimonials of older, sincere looking adults recounting their sightings of Slender Man in the real world.

[00:25:57]And Nissa and Morgan found articles from a newspaper clipping confirming that Jeff the Killer existed.

[00:26:08]So they knew that Slater Man existed.

[00:26:14]and they knew that he was near.

[00:26:17]So to protect themselves and their families, they had to act.

[00:26:23]Dr. Michael Codwell, an expert in the field of child psychology, we contacted him right away because we wanted to know early on from someone see her right after this happened what what caused this.

[00:26:40]He met with her multiple times beginning in July of 2014. So that's shortly after this occurred. He diagnosed her as schizotypo. I know you probably haven't heard that language before, but that is a mental disorder along the schisopra spectrum. I know a lot of people are familiar with the autism spectrum. A person can have varying degrees of characteristics of autism.

[00:27:09]Similar to the autism spectrum, schizophrenia has a spectrum and the doctors will explain that to you.

[00:27:17]But for what for what that meant for Anessa is that she has a propensity to more readily accept non-reality or delusional based beliefs.

[00:27:31]Morgan is also diagnosed with schizophrenia.

[00:27:35]Together, Anissa and Morgan came under the command and control of a delusional order that they both shared.

[00:27:45]A shared delusional disorder involves a strong adherence to non-reality based thoughts or beliefs by two people who share a close relationship.

[00:27:56]the primary and the secondary person succumb to the exchange of the delusional beliefs as a result of that very close relationship.

[00:28:06]So Anissa and Morgan, two 11year-olds, found one another and then shortly after that, Anissa lost touch with reality and fell prey to that delusion.

[00:28:18]>> During this phase of trial, it's the defense who has the burden of proof.

[00:28:21]They begin their case by calling someone who knows Ana better than anyone. her dad, William Wire, >> while she was at Prairie Middle School or Prairie Grade School, excuse me.

[00:28:32]Would did there come a time when there was some difficulty in the home?

[00:28:37]>> Um, yes. Yes. Um, Ana's mother and I are divorced and we were going through the divorce at the time that Ana was at elementary school at Prairie.

[00:28:47]>> Ana's dad testifies that after the divorce, he noticed changes in her behavior. She became quieter and more withdrawn. But he says he didn't see those changes as a sign of what was to come. Even as Ana began her friendship with Morgan.

[00:29:01]>> My first experience with Morgan was dropping Ana off at the bus stop and seeing Morgan come down the hill to the bus stop.

[00:29:10]>> What did you notice about Morgan?

[00:29:14]>> My initial perceptions of Morgan was that she was curious. She came to the bus stop one day wearing a mask seemed to be a Halloween mask of one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. There was one occasion where she came to the bus stop wearing um some Falcon ears from Star Trek >> and that seemed unusual.

[00:29:43]>> Well, I mean for a 12-year-old, it just seemed like she was goofing around. But I had asked Ana, I said, "You know, what's the story here?" She says, "Oh, that's just Morgan."

[00:29:52]>> Had it ever come to your attention that your daughter might be in need of some form of mental health help? [snorts] >> Not from my perspective. No.

[00:30:00]>> Okay.

[00:30:01]>> Was there any time where she expressed that she had seen things or was experiencing things other people were not? [snorts] >> There was an episode When Ana was about 10, [snorts] um she had gone to bed for the night, shortly afterwards, she had called out for her mom and I, you know, she saw something in her closet looking at her.

[00:30:31]So, you know, 10-year-old monster in the closet.

[00:30:36]We turn the lights on. We open the closet. Nothing's in there. We asked her what she saw. She claims to have seen a pair of red eyes looking out of her closet at her.

[00:30:46]So, in an attempt to calm her down, you know, we thought about it. Her bedroom window faced East Avenue. [snorts] She had very bright pink curtains hanging in her bedroom.

[00:31:00]So, I had posed the question to her that, you know, do you think it's even possible that maybe it was the headlights from somebody's car shining through the pink curtains? that that's what she saw in her closet. [snorts] She said yes and that's where we left it. She went to bed that night and no further issues.

[00:31:18]>> The jury also hears from Ana's former classmate who's only identified as Cayenne. But did Cayenne's testimony help the defense's case or the prosecutions?

[00:31:27]>> And do you recall ever talking to [clears throat] Ana about proxies?

[00:31:32]>> Yes.

[00:31:33]>> And do you ever recall a time talking to Ana about her wanting to become a proxy?

[00:31:38]Yes, it was only once from what I can remember.

[00:31:41]>> Do you know if that was before May 31st, 2014?

[00:31:47]>> Yes.

[00:31:48]>> Okay. And do you recall what Ana said about becoming a proxy?

[00:31:53]>> Um, she said something along the lines of, "I found a way to become a proxy.

[00:31:58]You have to kill one of your friends."

[00:32:00]And when I looked at her like, "What are you talking about?" She was like, "Don't worry, it's not you." It was only once that Ana told you about how to become a proxy. Is that right?

[00:32:11]>> Yes.

[00:32:12]>> And what was your reaction when she told you that?

[00:32:16]>> I was kind of like confused, but I didn't think she actually was like going to do it cuz she didn't seem like that kind of person.

[00:32:26]>> But what do experts have to say about that? Let's hear from forensic psychologist Dr. Michael Caldwell. Um first uh I believe that um her her functioning on that day was that she believed that she believed in Slender Man. She believed that um she and and Morgan Geyser had a special understanding of uh that Slenderman man was real and that no one else seemed to be able to uh have that insight. Uh and uh a second component of delusional disorder is the person feels a compel that they are compelled to act on the delusion. That's what makes it a disorder. If a person has a delusion and they just sit in their house and and play video games or whatever and never act on it, then it's a delusion, but it's not a delusional disorder. Um, so people with delusional disorder have a compel a compelling need to either save the world or save their family or something like that and they they can't let that go. Um, and so uh there are two components to this. One is whether she fully appreciated the wrongfulness of her behavior. Uh I think she understood that the behavior was going to be criminal that they could be arrested. Uh but uh believing that this was an evil force that no one else could understand except herself and Morgan Geyser u placed on her a moral uh requirement um to try to protect herself and her family from this uh from this horrible thing.

[00:33:52]And it was in her mind I think that she was acting out of a sense of altruism uh that she was saving someone uh in this very difficult uh moral choice. So in that regard I don't think she fully had an appreciation of the wrongfulness even though she understood the illegality of the behavior. I don't think she had a completely intact ability to understand the wrongfulness of the behavior.

[00:34:14]Secondly, if you don't fully understand, if you don't fully appreciate exactly what it is you do, you you don't understand all the consequences and all of that, if if you haven't got the ability to do that because of a mental disorder, uh then you don't have a full ability to to conform to what the law requires. Uh you're compelled to take an action that um is uh that is illegal. um but uh you don't have the full uh capacity to to control your actions because you don't really understand the nature of what you're doing.

[00:34:44]>> Following days of testimony, each side gets one last chance to argue their case to the jury.

[00:34:49]>> If you boil this whole thing down, it it's very simple. It comes down to did she have to or did she want to?

[00:34:56]If you find she had to. If she really believed Slender Man was going to kill her or her family, well, then maybe she couldn't comply with the requirements of the law. But this wasn't a had to. This wasn't a kill or be killed. The silly thing about this was I didn't immediately know I was in danger until after Morgan stabbed Payton. That's what she told Detective Truss.

[00:35:23]That's the truth.

[00:35:25]It was not kill or be killed. It was a want and because it was a want, she could comply with the requirements of the law.

[00:35:37]It was a choice. In this case, the only evidence you have is that Ana Wy meets the standard to be found not criminally responsible by reason of mental disease or defect. Three doctors have diagnosed her with a mental disease or defect, a delusional disorder. They explained that the delusion was so strong it prevented Ana from conforming her conduct to the requirements of law.

[00:36:03]Dr. Caldwell, who saw her less than two months after the offense, also believed that while she knew it was illegal, in the bigger scheme of things, she did not understand the wrongfulness of it.

[00:36:15]The doctors came to these conclusions after reviewing all the information, including the entirety of the recorded statements.

[00:36:26]And again, as I said, perhaps most importantly, they also looked at what was feeding into these children's head while they were learning about Slender Man, about creepy pasta, about life at Slender Mansion.

[00:36:45]in the Nicicolay forest that they were walking to that they knew what was said by both girls.

[00:36:56]They knew from [snorts] the police report.

[00:37:00]>> The jury has a huge task on their hands and they don't come to a quick verdict.

[00:37:04]They deliberate for 11 hours before coming back with their decision.

[00:37:08]>> Court will read the verdict. We the jury find as follows. Question one, at the time the crime was committed, did the defendant have a mental disease or defect? Answer is yes by 10 to no. Court will grant the judgment on the verdict.

[00:37:24]So ordered.

[00:37:26]Based upon that, I will uh I will find that uh Ana Wire was found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect to the crimes charged attempted secondderee intentional homicide party to the crime with the use of a dangerous weapon. The now 16-year-old avoids prison. While Ana awaits sentencing, Morgan's case moves forward. She decides against a jury trial and accepts a plea deal from prosecutors, which allows her to avoid prison, too. Just like Ana, Morgan will serve her sentence in a state mental health facility. Morgan's sentencing is on the calendars for early 2018. In December of 2017, [music] Ana Wy sentencing takes place. We haven't heard from her since her police interrogation 3 years earlier. Now, we're hearing from her again. Is she sorry at all?

[00:38:14]>> I just want everyone involved in this to know that I do hold myself accountable for this and that I will do whatever I have to [clears throat] do to make sure that I don't get any sort of delusion or whatever again. And I want everybody involved to know that I deeply regret everything that happened that day and that nothing I know that nothing I say is going to make this right, your honor.

[00:38:50]And nothing I say is going to fix what I broke.

[00:38:54]I'm just hoping that by holding myself somewhat accountable and making myself responsible for what I took part in that day that I can be responsible and make sure this doesn't happen again. I'm never going to let this happen again.

[00:39:14]I'll do whatever I have to do to I'll do whatever I have to do to make sure that this doesn't happen. And I know you've heard that before and you're probably going to hear it again, but it's the truth and I'm sorry.

[00:39:30]>> Payton and her family do not attend Ana's sentencing, but their presence is still felt in the courtroom as the judge reads a letter written by Payton's mom.

[00:39:39]>> Uh, Miss Lner talks about why they what brought him to today and what brought her to to writing the letter.

[00:39:47]And it talks about it says uh the reasons for the for agreeing to accepting the plea deals for Morgan and Ana first because we believed it was the best thing to do to ensure Payton would not have to testify.

[00:40:04]Traumatizing her further didn't seem worth it. It's a very practical result, but that's certainly true. uh just as you walk down the street and somebody looks at your scars to come back in and relive everything verbally would be traumatizing and it would be a new injury to her and to the family and also to the community.

[00:40:23]And second, because Payton felt placement in a mental health facility was a best disposition for both girls.

[00:40:32]While Payton believes a mental health facility is the best place for Morgan and Nessa, she still fears for her safety. She still sleeps with her windows closed, locked, and with security latches engaged. She still refuses to open her curtains.

[00:40:48]>> This letter serves as a powerful reminder that this case isn't about Slender Man or the media frenzy that followed. It's about what happened to Payton Lner, a 12-year-old girl who was nearly killed for no reason. The judge orders Ana to undergo treatment for the next 25 years at the Winnebago Mental Health Institute. Then in February of 2018, Morgan Geyser learns her sentence.

[00:41:10]>> I'm satisfied that the uh that that there is sufficient evidence to find that that Miss Geyser is a risk and that she's a risk of exercising dangerous conduct that uh she poses a significant risk of bodily harm to herself, others, or to property.

[00:41:29]The safest approach, the best approach to ensure that Miss Geyser has success and that the public's protected is to ensure that she has institutional care. When I put it all together, the uh the 40-year commitment appears reasonable and fair, taking into account the unique circumstances of this case.

[00:41:53]So, I'm going to order that the commitment be uh for 40 years.

[00:41:58]It's a long time. And when I if you when I think and reflect on it, 40 years to a 15y old, what a long time that is. Yet there's more to it than just just Miss Geyser. Our focus to some extent is on what her status is today. But this is an issue of community protection. This is an issue to be sure there's no recidivism. This is an issue to ensure that Miss Geyser doesn't have a revolving door situation where she ends up being in the community and then things fall apart and she comes back.

[00:42:31]>> Morgan is also sent to Winnebago Mental Health Institute for treatment. For years, it seemed the chapter on this story was closed. The next time the case was back in national spotlight was in 2019 when Payton sat down with ABC's David Mir for her first on camera interview. By 2019, Payton's now 17 years old. She still carries the physical reminders of the attack that nearly took her life. But she tells ABC News her scars are a part of her and she has nothing to hide. Payton is asked if she had the chance to say anything to Morgan, what would it be? She surprisingly says she would probably thank her because the attack shaped who she became. She felt her calling is now to help others. She reveals she wants to pursue a career in medicine. And that decision was influenced by the doctors and nurses who saved her life. But as Payton moves forward with her life, Ana's story enters a new chapter when she makes a bid for release from the state mental health facility. By September 10th, 2021, Ana is 19 years old. Following years of treatment, she's before the same judge who had sentenced her to decades in a state mental health facility years earlier. However, this time, he's not deciding punishment.

[00:43:42]The report does recommend that uh that Miss Wy be released pursuant to the plan to reside with her father, the father's residence. Courts, of course, familiar with the case based upon the the court's involvement in the matter. Uh I've read the uh conditional release report and the conditional release plan. I'm satisfied with the additions we've made to it in particular addressing the GPS system that it's a fair report. It's reasonable. It of course provides for the protection of the community provides it provides for for the protection of the community as well as the victim also. It it it prov it provides it provides protection as well than informous wire. It's important we consider all of the individuals involved in such a report. I'm satisfied it's reasonable. It provides good protections as far as the community is concerned. It also provides a a good plan for for for rehabilitation then of Miss Wy. So I will approve the plan.

[00:44:45]>> Ana Wire is released from the Wnebago Mental Health Institute after 3 and 1/2 years. She'll remain under the eyes of the state's case managers who will track her until she's 37 years old, the length of her commitment. The following year, Morgan seems to want her chance for conditional release, too. In June of 2022, Morgan's attorney files her first formal petition for conditional release.

[00:45:07]There's no doubt a judge is going to look at Morgan's case differently from Ana's. That's simply based on the roles each girl played in the brutal attack.

[00:45:15]Remember, detectives determined Morgan stabbed Payton 19 times. This may have crossed Morgan's attorney's minds, too, because 2 months after filing for conditional release, they choose to withdraw her petition. In May of 2023, Morgan files for conditional release again. 2 months later, it's déja vu.

[00:45:33]Morgan's attorney withdraws their petition. Anthony Cotton, Morgan Geyser's attorney, says Morgan is making substantial progress in [music] treatment and should be ready for release in 2024. But is he right? Morgan appears in a Wauaaw County courtroom on April 10th of 2024. Judge Michael Boran hears testimony from two courtappointed psychologists, Dr. Deborah Collins and Dr. Brooke Lund. Now that Morgan's in her early 20s, many wondered if treatment has actually helped. But if it is, if it's granted and if over the next coming months, call it two month, you don't say a number of months in your report, like call it two months, three months, four months.

[00:46:13]Over that period of time, if Morgan continues on the track she's on and continues doing the things that you describe here, then you would say it's appropriate for her to be in the community, right?

[00:46:25]There will be a point when it's my I anticipate she will be or believe she will be ready for conditional release in the coming months.

[00:46:34]>> Okay.

[00:46:35]How many months is that? If you had to estimate, is it two?

[00:46:40]>> I don't know.

[00:46:42]Uh let's just assume hypothetically the path that you've seen with Morgan, the positive trajectory you've seen, let's just assume it continues exactly as you've seen.

[00:46:52]>> Is two month two more months at at Winnebago sufficient?

[00:46:56]>> My best estimate would be 6 to 12 months.

[00:46:59]>> And just to kind of more directly address a question I know the court had yesterday and it's also been hinted at.

[00:47:04]You don't believe that Miss Geyser faked symptoms to avoid responsibility for the index offense. Correct.

[00:47:10]>> Right.

[00:47:12]nor does the rest of her medical team and treatment providers historically.

[00:47:15]True.

[00:47:15]>> True.

[00:47:17]>> So the general consensus is that there were psychosis symptoms at the time that they lasted. Is it also the case that the consensus is now that they have all to the extent that they've been absent for an extended period of time?

[00:47:32]Uh if we are looking very specifically at those um specific delusional ideas that contributed to the index offense, yes, that's absolutely true that there's been an absence of um belief related to say Slender Man um for several years. Um if we're talking about symptoms more broadly, there continue to be concerns.

[00:47:56]Outside of the defense, only two witnesses are in favor of Morgan being granted conditional release. Dr. Dr. Kenneth Robbins and Dr. Cayla Pope.

[00:48:04]>> What's your opinion specifically about Morgan and her uh petition for conditional release?

[00:48:12]>> Um my opinion is that this is a appropriate time for her to be conditionally released.

[00:48:17]>> Um you in your report you said that it's an ideal time for her to be released.

[00:48:21]Why is it an ideal time right now?

[00:48:25]>> Uh because Morgan has improved quite dramatically.

[00:48:30]uh and needs um needs things that the institution can no longer offer. [music] I think she's benefited a great deal by being at Wnebago and in many different ways, but I think she's reached the end of what Wnebago is able to help her with. [music] Uh there's no suggestion that she is dangerous at this time. And the kinds of things that Morgan needs in my view uh uh help with socialization, help with education, uh help with becoming independent, uh are things that Wnebago can no longer uh provide in an effective.

[00:49:12]>> Okay. So there's there's no more treatment she can do at Wnebago.

[00:49:16][clears throat] There's no more treatment she at Wnebago.

[00:49:20]>> So there's more treatment. I just don't I think I think the downside of being at Winnebago uh is greater than the any benefit that she could receive from the [music] treatment that's offered there.

[00:49:33]>> You're aware that both of them find Morgan at this time not suitable for conditional release.

[00:49:38]>> I did hear their testimony to that effect >> and they believe that Morgan still represents a significant risk of bodily harm to herself or others.

[00:49:51]I did [music] hear their test I'm sorry.

[00:49:53]I did hear their testimony to that effect.

[00:49:55]>> You don't agree with that?

[00:49:58]>> I I would say I probably agree more with Dr. Robin's assessment of the situation.

[00:50:03]Morgan has not had any dangerousness for several years now, and I do think at this point it is critical [music] for her to make the transition to the community to help with her ongoing development.

[00:50:18]You don't believe 6 months from now she would be less ready to go into the community, do you?

[00:50:28]>> No.

[00:50:32]But I do think that critical period for development is closing as Dr. Robbins identified.

[00:50:38]After years of treatment and psychiatric evaluations, the decision to grant Morgan's conditional release comes down to the judge.

[00:50:45]>> This court is satisfied by evidence that's clear and convincing that Miss Geyser does pose a significant risk of bodily harm to herself, to others, or of serious property damage for the reasons that I've stated.

[00:51:02]Now, she works hard. She continues to do what she's supposed to do, but that doesn't change this risk. Remember that uh what the the community is concerned with risk, dangerous risk. The community is concerned to a great extent as well with what happens to Miss Kaiser.

[00:51:20]The ultimate determination of dangerousness requires requires a careful balancing of society's interest in protection from harmful conduct against the equites interest in personal liberty and as well as autonomy. So that's the balance but the balance is the public interest and staying away from harmful conduct.

[00:51:46]Under these circumstances, this court's satisfied that the the scales tip in favor of the public and it tips that way by clear and convincing evidence. So, in this matter, after hearing all of the credible evidence, which I'm satisfied was very well presented by uh both the state as well as by the defense, I'm satisfied that the petition should be denied.

[00:52:09]>> While Morgan's conditional release is denied for now, the judge leaves the door open. She'll be able to file for release again [music] in six months. On January 6, 2025, Morgan returns to court for another hearing. But could 9 months really make that much of a difference?

[00:52:25]Um, at this point, I am in favor or in support of her petition for conditional release? Um, specifically, I don't believe that she currently poses a significant risk of substantial harm to herself, others, or to property damage.

[00:52:40]The protective factors include her intellectual resources and her capacity for problem solving. She has improved coping skills for managing stress that she has worked on and developed with the assistance of years of treatment [music] and the treatment team she has at Winnebago. She has an improved demonstrated improved capacity for self regulation, emotional self-regulation, so managing stress in the institution.

[00:53:05]um decrease frequency by um to use fantasy or to use um I guess I would say fantasy or retreat into herself for coping and she also has an express motivation to proactively pursue a pro-social life course move moving forward. Her compliance in the institution is remarkable both with medication and with treatment. Her lack of behavioral management problems in the institution.

[00:53:38]Her lack of violence toward others in the institution and toward herself.

[00:53:43]Those are all those all bode well for her readiness for cditional release at this time.

[00:53:48]>> Uh is it your opinion that it's it's it's it would therefore make her less dangerous? It would make Miss Geyser less dangerous if she's given the opportunity to move to a group home and expand um her growth as an individual.

[00:54:05]>> I don't think she's going to become dangerous to other people whether she's at Wnebago or not. I think that there is the risk that over time if she is limited by the things that Winnebago can offer her, I could imagine her becoming hopeless at some point [music] and potentially becoming a danger to herself. So yes, um perhaps ironically, I think she would be safer outside of Wnebago.

[00:54:29]>> After the judge reviews this new testimony, plus Morgan's evaluations, this time the outcome is much different.

[00:54:37]So, I'm in reviewing all of the reports and the matters, I'm satisfied that uh under the circumstances that the um that the great court's going to grant the release, I'm satisfied that by clear and convincing evidence that u under the current set of circumstances, Miss Geyser does not pose a significant risk risk of bodily harm to herself or others or of serious ious serious property damage. Now, when I make that finding, I take into account the what happened. I take into account the dangerousness of uh what happened back in 2014.

[00:55:20]I take into account though what's happened since then. in particular in the last six months I take into account the opinions of the um doctors but in particular and it's been it's been an important analysis for the court to make that um as the Randall decision talks about that the ultimate determination of dangerousness requires a careful balancing of society's interest in protection from harmful conduct against the equities 's interest in personal liberty and autonomy. In looking at the at the uh Randall case and of what happened in Randall and what the circumstances were of Randall, if I when I contrast Randall to Geyser, there really is there's a tremendous difference in the rationale for rejecting supervised release in that [music] case in Randall's case versus in this matter. When I weigh that dangerousness concept and I come back to what happened and what the progress has been, Miss Geyser doesn't fall into the same category as Mr. Randall in his petition for release on the denial of that release. So on that standpoint, I'll grant the petitions ordered.

[00:56:37]>> Although the judge grants Morgan's release, she's not free to just walk out of the courtroom. State mental health experts have to come up with a release plan for where she'll stay. Unlike Ana, Morgan's release plan doesn't include going home to her family. Instead, she's ordered to stay in a group home. For Morgan and her defense attorney, this is a victory.

[00:56:55]>> Morgan's going to do I'm [music] very confident Morgan will do well. I mean, of course, you know, that's balls in her court, obviously, to make sure she's addressing her [music] issues and uh taking it seriously. Um, we can only do so much and we never have a crystal ball. Of course, >> he's right. No one can predict the future. But in November of 2025, his words [music] would take on a different meaning.

[00:57:16]>> Um, I'm calling regarding one of my residents.

[00:57:20]>> Um, she um left last night um and took off her GPS monitor, ankle monitor that she had.

[00:57:31]Okay. And what is her first last name?

[00:57:34]>> Morgan Geyser.

[00:57:35]>> This is a nightmare. I remember when this news broke and instantly thinking about Payton and her family. For years, they worried something like this could [music] happen. Now they're living through their worst fears. The caller from Morgan's group, Home Reveals there was a much older friend who often wanted to visit Morgan. [music] This friendship began to raise concerns and their suspicions were right.

[00:57:56]>> Hey guys.

[00:57:58]Guys.

[00:58:05]Hey you guys.

[00:58:15]Hey. Unfortunately, you guys can't be back here.

[00:58:20]>> I believe that um Robins Police Department, you're able to sleep in their lobby.

[00:58:26]>> We'll just move around.

[00:58:27]>> What was that?

[00:58:28]>> We'll just move around.

[00:58:29]>> Okay.

[00:58:30]>> Thank you. I appreciate that. Sorry.

[00:58:32]Sorry to bother you guys.

[00:58:33]>> So, okay.

[00:58:36]I appre appreciate you guys being understanding.

[00:58:38]>> Thank you so much.

[00:58:39]>> You're looking at body cam video from police officers in Posen, Illinois.

[00:58:43]Morgan and her friend are at a truck stop pretty much stranded after running out of cash.

[00:58:48]>> Where you guys uh from >> uh South >> like how far?

[00:58:57]>> Not that far. We're not living anywhere.

[00:59:01]>> We'll be fine tonight.

[00:59:03]>> Okay. And I just want to make sure you guys are warm.

[00:59:05]>> We're fine.

[00:59:06]>> You sure?

[00:59:11]>> I appreciate it.

[00:59:12]>> No problem. I just want to make sure you guys have some place to want to stay.

[00:59:16]>> No, we're we're all >> How old are you?

[00:59:19]>> I'm 23.

[00:59:20]>> 23?

[00:59:21]>> Yeah.

[00:59:21]>> How old is he?

[00:59:23]>> Um, she's transgender.

[00:59:24]>> Oh, how old is she? 23.

[00:59:27]>> Okay.

[00:59:28]>> I don't have my ID, but >> All right. Well, give him your name and date of birth. You just got to make sure you're you're saying who you are. You say you are. Okay. You're not missing anything. Okay.

[00:59:39][snorts] >> Uh, thank you.

[00:59:43]>> No problem. Thank you for calling.

[00:59:45]>> Thank you for calling.

[00:59:46]>> Okay. What's your last name?

[00:59:48]>> Um, >> I don't know why I have to do this.

[00:59:57]>> Because I don't believe you're 23.

[00:59:58]That's why. Okay. We got called here per call. So, just be honest. I want to make sure that you're not missing. As long as you're not missing, you can go on your way.

[01:00:08]>> Are you missing from someone?

[01:00:10]Give me your name and date of birth and you can be on your way.

[01:00:13]>> Okay.

[01:00:13]>> I'm 19.

[01:00:14]>> Huh?

[01:00:14]>> I'm 19.

[01:00:15]>> 19. That's fine. You're still an adult.

[01:00:18]So, >> yeah. So, what's your last name?

[01:00:23]>> No. What?

[01:00:24]>> I don't want to give you my name.

[01:00:25]>> Okay. Well, they were going to arrest you and take you ID. We're going to hold you an ID station.

[01:00:32]>> So, what are we going to You don't want to obstruct an officer. Give him your name and date of birth.

[01:00:37]>> You're not wanted for murder, right?

[01:00:39]>> Right.

[01:00:40]>> Okay, then there shouldn't be any problem.

[01:00:43]>> Okay. It's You're making it bigger.

[01:00:45]>> What's your last name?

[01:00:46]>> Reese.

[01:00:47]>> How do you spell it?

[01:00:48]>> I E S.

[01:00:50]>> I E S.

[01:00:51]>> Mhm.

[01:00:52]>> No, G R I E S.

[01:00:54]>> Okay.

[01:00:56]G R I E S. What's your first name?

[01:00:58]>> Stephanie.

[01:01:01]>> So Stephanie.

[01:01:08]>> Give him your real name.

[01:01:10]>> Okay.

[01:01:12]Cuz if he comes back, no record on file also, which I hope he doesn't cuz that means both of you are lying. I'm going to take you both in for transpoints.

[01:01:20]Okay? Don't don't make us do all that.

[01:01:23]We just want to send you on your way.

[01:01:25]>> No, you can't.

[01:01:26]I was counseling Charles.

[01:01:28]>> You guys wanted for something.

[01:01:31]>> Why? Why are you hiding your name? I don't understand.

[01:01:33]>> Eventually, Morgan comes clean. She gives the officers her name after likely knowing her small taste of freedom has come to an end.

[01:01:42]>> I need all that.

[01:01:43]>> So, Morgan is your first name, right?

[01:01:44]>> Yes.

[01:01:45]>> G E Y S E.

[01:01:46]>> No. No. No.

[01:01:47]>> Let me take a five.

[01:01:48]>> Okay, we will.

[01:01:49]>> I will never see her again.

[01:01:50]>> Yeah, you will.

[01:01:51]>> No, I will.

[01:01:54]>> I did something bad. Let me say goodbye.

[01:01:56]>> We will let you say goodbye, but just stand by until we find figure out what's going.

[01:02:01]>> Okay. I promise I'll let you say goodbye.

[01:02:04]>> No matter what I did.

[01:02:05]>> Yeah. No matter.

[01:02:07]>> That's my word. Okay.

[01:02:11]>> You're being honest with me.

[01:02:12]>> I'm being honest. That's my name.

[01:02:14]>> Trust me, I didn't want to give it to you.

[01:02:17]>> You'll see why in a second.

[01:02:19]>> But she didn't know my name.

[01:02:22]>> Go ahead and put your hand.

[01:02:23]>> You said I could say.

[01:02:24]>> I will let you. You guys going to the same place? Okay.

[01:02:26]>> Okay.

[01:02:28]>> I promise she >> Okay. Okay. Okay.

[01:02:35]We got >> I'm sorry.

[01:02:40]I'm sorry. Sorry. Sorry.

[01:02:56]So sorry.

[01:03:04]I'm sorry.

[01:03:06]I'm so [laughter] sorry.

[01:03:10]I'm so sorry.

[01:03:15][panting and gasps] God, I'm so sorry.

[01:03:33]Sorry.

[01:03:35]So sorry, God.

[01:03:47]I'm so sorry.

[01:03:50]I swear the blessings you gave me.

[01:03:56]I'm so sorry. I wish I had it.

[01:04:14]Morgan doesn't get to go back to her group home. She's arrested and taken back into police custody. In December of 2025, [music] Morgan's conditional release is revoked and she's ordered back to the Winnebago Mental Health Institution where she still remains as of this [music] recording. As for Ana Wy, she still continues to live with her dad under conditional release. And of course, I can't end this episode without talking about Payton Lner, the girl who survived and overcame so much. She lives a private life now, but wherever she is, we hope that she's doing everything she's ever dreamed of. Thanks for joining me on this episode. I'm Elizabeth Milner, and we'll see you back here next week [music] with another female criminal.