On May 31, 2014, twelve year old friends Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser lured a third friend, Payton Leutner, into a secluded wooded area in their neighborhood. Once there, they brutally attacked Payton, stabbing her 19 times and leaving her for dead. Payton managed to survive the attack and crawled to a nearby roadway where she was discovered and when asked who had done this to her she answered, "My best friends". Payton spent a week in the hospital recovering from her wounds but ultimately survived.

Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser were immediately arrested and brought in for questioning. They both claimed that they had attempted to kill Payton to appease the online creepypasta character "Slenderman" who was said to live in a mansion and kidnap/save children. They thought that by killing Payton, they would be able to live in Slenderman's mansion and become a "proxy" for him, where they would learn his magic and do his bidding.

Both Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser faced charges in adult court even though they were just 12 years old when the stabbing took place. Both girls pleaded guilty but were both found not guilty due insanity. They were both sentenced to terms in psychiatric hospitals. In July 2021, a judge ordered Anissa Weier to be released from her hospital. Morgan Geyser, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, remains in the care of a hospital full time.