'Slender Man' Attack Victim 'Strong, Brave Girl' Who 'Wanted to Live'
Family letter reveals details about 12-year-old as she goes home to recover.
June 6, 2014— -- The Wisconsin family of the “strong, brave girl” who was allegedly stabbed 19 times by her two friends after a weekend sleepover has posted a letter near the site of her rescue, providing first-time details about the injured sixth-grader amid her release from the hospital today.
“We, the family, of the 12-year-old victim in Waukesha, WI are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from the surrounding community, across the country, and even overseas,” they write in the letter.
Her parents have since issued a separate statement confirming the girl's release from Waukesha Memorial Hospital, adding, "While we have kept discussions about the events of May 31, 2014 with her short, we did ask how she found the strength to crawl out of the woods. Her response was simple: ‘I wanted to live.'"
Why Did 12-Year-Olds Stab Friend For ‘Slender Man?
WATCH: 911 Call Saved Girl From Being Stabbed to Death
Everything You Need to Know About 'Slender Man'
The girl’s friends, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, both also 12, face attempted first-degree intentional homicide charges. They are being charged as adults and have not yet entered a plea.
Geyser and Weier hoped to pay homage to a fictional character known as “Slender Man” by killing their victim in the woods Saturday, according to court documents.
The victim’s family’s letter makes no mention of “Slender Man” or the suspects. Rather, it shares her personal hobbies and interests.
“Our strong, brave girl loves school and her teachers,” the family writes. “She is looking forward to summer, but has voiced that she will miss attending classes even more.”
Mark Wegner, principal of Horning Middle School where the two suspects and the victims were sixth-graders, told ABC News the school year is set to end June 12.
"[All three girls] were good kids, there wasn't any kind of issues, any problems with discipline anything like that,” Wegner said. “There was nothing that was on the radar for any issues at all here at the school."
The family writes in the posted letter of the victim’s “close-knit” family, her love of animals and passion for volunteering at a local humane society, and her interests in music and fashion.
“She has a love for life and the dramatic sparkle of any typical 12 year old girl in her eye,” the family writes. “Although the sparkle has dimmed for now, we know it will be back again brighter than ever because of the amazing support she has worldwide!”
The victim’s family has launched an online fundraising campaign, Hearts for Healing. A statement from their spokeswoman, Dana Hoffmann, says, “The campaign aims to raise $250,000 to help meet medical and legal expenses.”
Supporters are also encouraged to send messages of support on homemade purple-colored hearts to Hearts for Healing, P.O. Box 407, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 53187-0407.
Here’s the entire letter:
We, the family, of the 12-year-old victim in Waukesha, WI are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love from the surrounding community, across the country, and even overseas. Our strong, brave girl loves school and her teachers. She is looking forward to summer, but has voiced that she will miss attending classes even more. Her favorite class, even at the age of 12, is French. She practices it at home and teases her little brother by saying words he cannot understand. She has a very close knit family with Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins who are very active in her life.
She loves animals and volunteers her time to the local Waukesha County Humane Society (HAWS); she had plans to spend much of her summer there. This past fall she organized a food drive to benefit the animals at the shelter. Although she is an animal lover in general she particularly cares for cats. She has 2 cats that are her pride and joy at home.
She enjoys listening to music and torments her parents, just as any other pre-teen, with loud acoustical versions of her favorite Taylor Swift and Katy Perry songs.
She is a budding fashionista and enjoys reading magazines about the latest styles.
She has a love for life and the dramatic sparkle of any typical 12 year old girl in her eye.
Although the sparkle has dimmed for now, we know it will be back again brighter than ever because of the amazing support she has worldwide!
June, 6 2014