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WISCONSIN (ABC NEWS) – The whereabouts of Morgan Geyser, who in 2014 stabbed a friend 19 times to appease the fictional character “Slender Man,” were unknown as of Sunday after she allegedly cut off her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and left a Wisconsin group home where she had been a resident, authorities said. The Madison, Wis., police department said it was notified of the 22-year-old Geyser’s disappearance on Sunday morning. In March, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Michael Bohren ordered that Geyser be released from the Winnebago Mental Health Institute and sent to a group home after three psychologists testified she was prepared for supervised release. As part of her release, Geyser was ordered to wear a monitoring bracelet. Geyser, according to police, cut off her Department of Corrections monitoring bracelet and left the group home sometime Saturday night. Geyser was last seen in Madison around 8 p.m. on Saturday with an adult acquaintance, police said in a statement posted on social media, which included a recent surveillance image of Geyser. Police asked anyone who spots Geyser to call 911 immediately. Geyser and another girl, Anissa Weier, were charged as adults and pleaded guilty to stabbing a classmate, Payton Leutner, 19 times in 2014, when they and the victim were 12 years old. Both Geyser and Weier’s guilty pleas were later vacated when they were found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Both of them were subsequently sent to psychiatric institutions. “Payton Leutner and her family of aware of the most recent situation regarding Morgan Geyser,” a spokesperson for the Leutner family said in a statement to ABC News. “Payton and her family are safe and are working closely with local law enforcement to ensure their continued safety.” “The family would like to thank all of the law enforcement entities involved in the efforts to apprehend Morgan,” the statement continued. “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.” In January, Judge Bohren ordered the state Department of Health Services to come up with a plan for Geyser’s supervised release. Geyser was transferred in March from the Winnebago Mental Health facility to a group home despite concerns raised by prosecutors, who alleged she had “violent” communication with a man outside the facility and had read a book in the facility with “themes of sexual sadism and murder.” In 2014, Geyser and Weier lured their friend, Payton Leutner, then 12, to the woods in Waukesha, Wis., where Geyser stabbed Leutner while Weier watched. Geyser and Weier left Leutner alone in the woods. Injured and bleeding, Leutner pulled herself to safety and was rushed to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. Leutner survived the attack that captured headlines worldwide after Geyser and Weier claimed that the stabbing was intended to please “Slender Man,” a faceless, fictional internet-based character that garnered a cult-like following. Geyser pleaded guilty to first-degree attempted intentional homicide and was sent to the Winnebago Mental Health Institute in 2018. Geyser was later found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and was sentenced to up to 40 years in a psychiatric institution. Weier was also found not guilty by mental disease or defect after pleading guilty to a lesser charge. She was sentenced to up to 25 years in a psychiatric institution. In 2021, at the age of 19, Weier was granted supervised release. In an interview with ABC’s “20/20” in October 2019, Leutner said she had worked hard to heal from the attack and rebuild a normal life. She told ABC News that she was ready to reclaim her story. “I’ve come to accept all of the scars that I have,” Leutner said in the exclusive interview with ABC’s David Muir. “It’s just a part of me. I don’t think much of them. They will probably go away and fade eventually.”…

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani didn’t back down in an interview that aired Sunday from past criticism that President Donald Trump acted like a despot and a fascist after a surprisingly friendly White House meeting between the two men. The newly elected democratic socialist and the Republican president have fiercely criticized each other in the past. Trump called Mamdani a “100% Communist Lunatic” in a social media post following the incoming mayor’s election victory, and Mamdani has said Trump was attacking democracy. Yet the two political foils emerged smiling after the meeting Friday and spoke of shared goals. Pressed about his past criticism during a “Meet the Press” interview conducted Saturday, Mamdani said his views remained unchanged. “Everything that I’ve said in the past, I continue to believe,” Mamdani said. “And that’s the thing that I think is important in our politics, is that we don’t shy away from where we have disagreements, but we understand what it is that brings us to that table, because I’m not coming into the Oval Office to make a point or make a stand. I’m coming in there to deliver for New Yorkers.” Trump had brushed aside Mamdani’s criticisms Friday and even jumped in on his defense several times. When a reporter asked if Mamdani stood by his comments that Trump is a fascist, Trump interjected before Mamdani could fully answer the question. “That’s OK. You can just say yes. OK?” Trump said. “It’s easier. It’s easier than explaining it. I don’t mind.” Asked about the fascist criticism on “Meet the Press,” Mamdani said, “That’s something that I’ve said in the past. I say it today. ” Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, said on CNN’s “State of the Union” talk show that Trump wants to work with everybody who cares about the future of the American people. “We’re at times disagreeing about policies,” Hassett said, “but I think that the objective of making life better for everybody is something that a lot of people share on the Democratic and Republican side.” Though far apart politically, the White House meeting offered potential political benefits for both men. The incoming mayor was able to meet one-on-one with the president, and Trump got to to talk about affordability, an issue that is increasingly important to voters. Categories: Associated Press, News, US Tags: Donald Trump, Interview, New York City, Zohran Mamdani

The building fire that tore through a Mount Vernon apartment complex has left all 250 residents displaced, authorities with the city’s Office of Emergency Management announced late Sunday. Authorities say 150 people are in immediate need of shelter, with 75 to 100 others believed to be traveling. Flames shot of out of the top floors of the large building at 30 Cottage Ave. ““I got my family out, I ran upstairs, told my parents (who) live a floor above me,” said resident Erick Espinal. “We stayed in the building for at least 10-15 minutes, just telling everybody, “Fire! Fire! Get out! Knocking on doors.” The fire started in a top floor kitchen, according to the Mount Vernon Fire Department. The flames got out of control and spread to the cockloft, the space between the ceiling and the roof. The entire building of more than 100 units had to be evacuated. “They found heavy fire coming out of the 7th floor on (the) Cottage Ave. side,” said Chief of Operations Juan Peralta. “There was also two victims at the window where they needed rescue. They put the aerial up and they have a mother and daughter — they took ’em out by the ladder through the window.” The main damage is on the two two floors of the building. But all other floors suffered water damage. That mother and daughter are being evaluated for injuries. However, police say there were no significant injuries reported. “I don’t think it’s gonna be home anymore,” said Espinal. “Not with this kind of damage.”Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said the city has contacted about 50 churches, which will be sending over its clothing ministry and food. Holmes Elementary School will serve as a massive shelter for the next five nights, according to the OEM. That includes Thanksgiving, when officials hope to have a holiday meal prepared for fire victims. Social Services assistance will be offered starting Monday.

Fire ripped through an Elizabeth, New Jersey home on Saturday morning, with some victims sleeping before they were forced to run for safety. Ring doorbell video captured the chilling moments as the fire swept through the multi-unit property on Stiles St. “We got up, and ran out once he saw the smoke,” Demi De La Cruz told NBC New York. She and her husband moved quickly to bring their one-year-old daughter to safety. They were also able to grab coats and identification. The Elizabeth Fire Department says at least 80 firefighters tackled the flames. “It was well above the first floor, extending to the second floor, and into the attic,” said Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Preston. The fire began on the right side of the duplex around 9AM. One tenant told News 4 that the section is divided into multiple units, expanding from the basement, with first and second floors and an attic. The De La Cruz family — which lives on the left side — saw neighbors jumping from the second floor. “When I exited with my daughter, they were breaking the window and jumping out,” said Demi De La Cruz. At lease seven people went to the hospital to be checked out for minor injuries. While flames reached the frame of the house next door, no major damage was reported there. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The American Red Cross is providing emergency financial assistance to the victims.