Morgan Geyser escape; victim notification delay draws scrutiny
Morgan Geyser's stabbing victim notified of escape hours later
Morgan Geyser was captured in Illinois after fleeing her group home, but her victim’s family says notification took 14 hours, raising concerns over victims’ rights.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Morgan Geyser is back in custody after spending a little more than a day on the run, prompting scrutiny over how and when her victim was notified of the escape.
What we know:
Geyser, convicted in the Slender Man stabbing case in Waukesha back in 2014 of classmate Payton Leutner, left her Madison group home over the weekend. Officials say she was found with 43-year-old Chad Mecca at a gas station in Posen, Ill. – about 25 minutes south of Chicago – where both were arrested and booked into the Cook County Jail.
Around 11:35 p.m. Saturday, Madison police said group home staff confirmed to the state that Geyser was missing and her bracelet was actually there, and not on her leg.
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Around 12 a.m. Sunday, the state issued a warrant.
A post on the Posen Police Department Facebook page says, "When officers arrived, they located both subjects sleeping on the sidewalk. The female repeatedly refused to provide her real name and initially gave a false one. After continued attempts to identify her, she finally stated that she didn’t want to tell officers who she was because she had "done something really bad," and suggested that officers could "just Google" her name."
As word spread, Leutner did not actually learn Geyser was missing until the following morning, nearly 12 hours after the escape.
What they're saying:
Waukesha County District Attorney Lesli Boese said Monday that the family was not contacted during the overnight search.
Morgan Geyser in Posen police custody
"They did not know anything about it," said Boese. "We wanted to make sure that they were safe and that they had a plan in place. And, again, it was verified before we came up here that in fact, no one did contact them."
A Madison police spokesperson told FOX6 the department reached the victim around 10:45 a.m. on Sunday.
Later Monday, Waukesha County clarified that the Leutner family said they did not hear from DOC or DHS until 14 hours after Geyser left the facility.
Dig deeper:
According to DHS’ website, the case did not meet the listed criteria that require immediate notification.
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Advocates say that gap raises concerns.
"Whenever we talk about notifications we are also talking about timely notifications," said Nela Kalpic, state director of Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin. "Marsy’s Law guarantees that timely notice of any release of the accused. That language is intentional to help victims understand so they can take steps to protect themselves."
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Leutner family said there was no plan to make a statement on the incident.
Morgan Geyser escape: Madison PD says they were not initially alerted
Madison police say they did not know Morgan Geyser's escape from a group home for 11 ½ hours, and they did not hear about it from the state.
The Source: FOX6 utilized prior coverage and an interview with Marsy’s Law for Wisconsin officials.