Lily Marie Hartwell, 14, had been reading an ebook, Soul Eater, about killing people, and about the fictional online character The Slenderman, a gaunt, abnormally tall figure who features in one of the internet’s most terrifying stories, before she set fire to her home in the city of Port Richey, Florida.
The 14-year-old girl’s mother and her nine-year-old brother were able to escape the fire after being awakened by a smoke alarm. Hartwell’s mother realising her daughter was not outside, went back inside the blazing home but was beaten back by the heat, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said, Suncoast News reported.
Firemen also went into the burning house three times to search for the girl before deciding she was not inside.
As a widespread search was made for Hartwell, her mother began to get text messages from her, including “Mom Im so sorry I dont know why I did it” and “Did any of u get hurt.”
The daughter was eventually found nearby. She was taken into custody and charged with two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson.
During questioning, Hartwell admitted using the violent websites Creepypasta.com and SoulEater.com, which are associated with The Slenderman.
Hartwell admitted to starting the fire by soaking a towel and bedsheet with bleach and rum then setting them alight in the garage. She then walked to a nearby park bathroom and went to sleep, after packing a bag with clothes, bottled water, cookies, knives, lighters and flashlights.
Before lighting the blaze, Nocco said, she changed out of her loose-fitting pyjamas in case they caught fire.
“She planned this whole thing out,” Nocco said.
During questioning, Hartwell admitted using the violent websites Creepypasta.com and SoulEater.com, which are associated with The Slenderman.
In a journal marked ‘Keep Out,’ one written entry stated “if this keeps up there will be no safety in this house.”
The girl had also written about her interest in Slenderman. The Slenderman stories reportedly influenced a case in Wisconsin in which two 12-year-old girls were accused of stabbing a classmate, and the Port Richey teen mentioned that case in her journal, Nocco said.
“There’s a clear direction,” Nocco said. “She’s involved in reading these things.”
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