GUILTY WI - 12-Year-Old Girls Stab Friend 19 Times for Slenderman, Waukesha, 31 May 2014 #2

Status
Not open for further replies.
An Ohio mother says her 13-year-old stabbed her multiple times to please Slender Man - the same fictional horror character that allegedly inspired a grisly knife attack in Wisconsin last week.

The resident of Hamilton County, who has not been publicly named, told the station WLWT that her daughter was obsessed with the ghoulish Internet boogyman.

According to the parent, the 13-year-old girl has been suffering from longstanding mental problems, but she never imagined the child would try to harm her.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-creepy-horror-character.html#ixzz344YXD01A


(Thanks, Salem!)
 
^ After that article I'm now imagining Westboro picketers with pitchforks and blazing torches, hunting Slenderman.

I know which of those I find scarier.

Note though, that girl had existing mental problems. Did no-one think to turn her internets off? Seriously, the last activity I'd allow for a mentally troubled tween.
 
I think these two girls created slenderman fantasy for themselves as a way to further isolate from others around them. There is a certain power in sharing a secret at that age. Especially one that seems to convey some special-ness, some more-ness to the participants than their peer group.

One thing that I clearly recall about being that age is the sense of having zero power and zero worth. Of trying to figure out where and how I fit into my peer group. It is a rough time hormonally and mentally.

I think one more dominant personality who felt "apart" from her peers collided with one more passive personality who also felt "apart" from her peer group to create this "perfect" partnership of two.

They immerse themselves in this mythos they create around becoming proxies for this fictional construct because while doing so it gives them an illusion of power. Heady stuff for two 12 year olds trying to find their place in the world.

I don't know that they truly believed their own fantasy construction. But I do believe that while indulging in it it fed a need in them, to feel special, to feel "more" than their peers. I think that even as they knew that slenderman was not real and there was no mansion in the woods, no power to be gained, they were addicted to the rush of superior feeling that continuing to feed the fantasy gave them.

I believe they became addicted in a way to feeling special over their shared secret fantasy but just like with any other addiction - they had to continue to escalate to feed teh need, to get the rush, etc.
 
According to the parent, the 13-year-old girl has been suffering from longstanding mental problems, but she never imagined the child would try to harm her.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-creepy-horror-character.html#ixzz344ccZGac

regarding the 13 year old attacking her mother in OH: the BBM and yet she was still allowed access to the area she could access and feed these fantasies? ie. the web? :banghead:

The OH mom may have only found out about the slenderman fascination after the fact but she knew her daughter was obsessed with demons etc and had serious mental health issues and still the child's activities were not monitored closely enough that the depth of her obsessions were not known til after the attack? What is wrong with this picture? MOO. At the very least, this recent outbreak of slenderman attacks should get parents everywhere looking more closely at their kids' online activities. (I Hope)
 
^ After that article I'm now imagining Westboro picketers with pitchforks and blazing torches, hunting Slenderman.

I know which of those I find scarier.

Note though, that girl had existing mental problems. Did no-one think to turn her internets off? Seriously, the last activity I'd allow for a mentally troubled tween.


I'm going to guess that the daughter saw and heard the story about the WI case by way of overhearing/seeing her mom watching the news and this is a copy cat case. I find it interesting mom only noticed her daughters writing and drawings after last weekends WI case.
 
According to the parent, the 13-year-old girl has been suffering from longstanding mental problems, but she never imagined the child would try to harm her.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ed-creepy-horror-character.html#ixzz344ccZGac

regarding the 13 year old attacking her mother in OH: the BBM and yet she was still allowed access to the area she could access and feed these fantasies? ie. the web? :banghead:

The OH mom may have only found out about the slenderman fascination after the fact but she knew her daughter was obsessed with demons etc and had serious mental health issues and still the child's activities were not monitored closely enough that the depth of her obsessions were not known til after the attack? What is wrong with this picture? MOO. At the very least, this recent outbreak of slenderman attacks should get parents everywhere looking more closely at their kids' online activities. (I Hope)


I had the same thoughts, but then wondered if this is a means for mom to seek out additional help for her daughter if she is having difficulties with her childs mental health treatment. It's not like we have great MH care in the US. But that's a whole nother topic.......
 
I honestly don't think every parent needs to worry to the extent of helicoptering. I feel it's also harmful to act as if your kids don't deserve trust, or deserve to be babied well into teenage years.

But it's good sense, and being a good parent, to restrict/cut net access to kids who are mentally unstable or underdeveloped, especially if they can't be supervised.
 
I am no helicopter and agree with Aus that too much can be just as damaging.

But I know how to check and track my kids' footprints and search histories. They do not even know I am doing it half the time but I am always there, watching, even when they do not know. How else will I know see a red flag waving if I am not watching for them?
 
I'm going to guess that the daughter saw and heard the story about the WI case by way of overhearing/seeing her mom watching the news and this is a copy cat case. I find it interesting mom only noticed her daughters writing and drawings after last weekends WI case.

From what I can tell, the Ohio event happened -before- the Wisconsin attack, but the mother only noticed the Slenderman/demon art after she saw that on the news. :facepalm:

The demon pictured in the article, mind you, is bright pink and anime-cute. Hardly cause to reach for the exorcism hotline.

This is something I know, from personal experience: horror-art and dark themed books and films can actually be very therapeutic for troubled kids, too. It's a way of expressing all the fear and horror inside, and making it something creative and positive. It was my crutch, through my horrible childhood. I hate to think where I'd have been without that creative outlet.

But yeah, mentally ill children need to be supervised. That's a whole different kettle of fish.
 
I think these two girls created slenderman fantasy for themselves as a way to further isolate from others around them. There is a certain power in sharing a secret at that age. Especially one that seems to convey some special-ness, some more-ness to the participants than their peer group.

rsbm

Just wanted to say what a great post that was, tlcya. It makes perfect sense.
 
Helicoptor or free range parenting, children still need to be directed in ways to find positive ways to develop self worth and empowerment. There was something that led these girls to believing it was murder, not academic success, sports success or countless other activities to empower them.

The comment about trusting people being gullible, certainly tells me at least one of them had fine tuned a means of manipulating people.

I think in hindsight, as people who know these girls try to make sense of this red flags will come out.
 
Helicoptor or free range parenting, children still need to be directed in ways to find positive ways to develop self worth and empowerment. There was something that led these girls to believing it was murder, not academic success, sports success or countless other activities to empower them.

The comment about trusting people being gullible, certainly tells me at least one of them had fine tuned a means of manipulating people.

I think in hindsight, as people who know these girls try to make sense of this red flags will come out
.

I agree. I think there were things that were probably normal for them, but now that this has happened...it will be realized that it was simply not normal for anyone. If that makes sense.
 
From what I can tell, the Ohio event happened -before- the Wisconsin attack, but the mother only noticed the Slenderman/demon art after she saw that on the news. :facepalm:

The demon pictured in the article, mind you, is bright pink and anime-cute. Hardly cause to reach for the exorcism hotline.

This is something I know, from personal experience: horror-art and dark themed books and films can actually be very therapeutic for troubled kids, too. It's a way of expressing all the fear and horror inside, and making it something creative and positive. It was my crutch, through my horrible childhood. I hate to think where I'd have been without that creative outlet.

But yeah, mentally ill children need to be supervised. That's a whole different kettle of fish.


Thank you. I had thought the Ohio case had just happened within the last day or two. It makes much more sense now why the mom came forward. Thank you for the additional info on how the dark themed stuff helped you. Having not explored that avenue myself, it gives me more understanding on those who do.

ETA, and writing is one of the skills I admire tremendously. Especially literature. It's not a talent of mine, but I consider it as amazing as music or art. :)
 
Thanks, Cubby. It really isn't disempowering for most people in the 'scene', but I can certainly see how people might think it is, who don't share the interest. I have found a part of my success in horror art and literature, and met many lovely friends through the genre. Some of them come from wonderful homes, it's not just us damaged kids who benefit from celebrating the darker aspects of creativity. But they're all the nicest people you could meet.

But I must add, horror wasn't then and isn't now my whole life and only interest. Obsessive thinking about -anything- is red flag, IMO.
 
I agree. I think there were things that were probably normal for them, but now that this has happened...it will be realized that it was simply not normal for anyone. If that makes sense.


It makes sense. I guess it's what caused them to believe it is normal that puzzles me.
 
It makes sense. I guess it's what caused them to believe it is normal that puzzles me.

I think some of that is addressed in tlcya's great post a few posts back, which a few people have observed in this discussion. The girls may well have bought into and sold each other a fantasy world, in which violence enabled them to feel powerful and special. I do think at least one of them is mentally not well, and both are certainly capable of cunning.

I think they had a chemistry between them that wasn't healthy, and as a parent who had had to deal with that sort of negative duo stuff, I can say there ARE plenty of red flags, if you're paying attention. Kids who are spiralling into a world of their own give off signals, though on the surface they may look like just BFFs. And they do get super secretive, so it's hard to spot - especially if you're not looking. And if you're paying attention, you can squash it -before- it turns nasty, as I did.

Obsessive friendships do give off a weird vibe, though. I remain truly surprised there was NO sign of this coming anywhere. If that's actually so.

Interest in horror alone isn't unhealthy, as a parent or a child. I don't care what anyone else thinks, I know this because I -live- it, thanks.

There's plenty of sick-minded, callous and violent people out there, kids and adults, who aren't into horror.. so my belief is that the girl's behaviour has its roots somewhere else entirely. Obsessive friendship, perhaps unrecognised illness, perhaps things more mundane (jealousy) or as Mrs. G put in the last thread, perhaps a combination of these things.
 
It makes sense. I guess it's what caused them to believe it is normal that puzzles me.

If a person is how they are from birth, we come to accept they are this way. From all accounts we have, they did well in school, had no real social problems, did not cause trouble, and actually had friends. When someone is functioning well, we often just accept them as quirky or "unique." I don't think a parent is going to look at their child who is doing well in her daily life, and think their personal normal is something that should be troubling.

I am willing to bet a lot, that the real concerning things were kept close to the two of them. I seriously doubt that anything major was able to be seen by anyone outside of themselves. Who knows...they have been more distant or inaccessible lately. Then again, it could have come across as totally normal tween pulling away. No one is going to look at their child who does well in school with no problems, and think murderer. I'm sure the parents are looking at this friendship and seeing they were too close, that it was strange. But, it's so hard to see that in highly functional well behaved kids.
 
It makes sense. I guess it's what caused them to believe it is normal that puzzles me.

the BBM got me googling killer duos and the phenomenon of how these pairs meet and feed off of one another. This really struck me

How, and when, do they know the other one will kill? It seems weird that two people would meet and conspire to murder someone, however after researching the concept of coincidence, it isn’t that such people are drawn together by fate. Rather, twisted people are bound to meet and recognize an affinity in one another, quite the same way that “normal” people will do. I don’t believe this is based on coincidence. A coincidence has an oddball definition: a collection of two or more events or conditions, closely related by time, space, form, or other associations that occur at once. Meh. I’m of a mind that people are indeed as birds of a feather. We recognize ourselves in others. That’s why we like them and that is how bonds are formed.

http://krazykillers.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/dangerous-deadly-devious-duos/

[removed a link that may not be close enough to this case to warrant comparison]

anyway, there is some interesting reading out there and I am diving in.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
101
Guests online
796
Total visitors
897

Forum statistics

Threads
589,926
Messages
17,927,738
Members
228,002
Latest member
zipperoni
Back
Top