Disappearance Of Six In St. Louis May Be Connected To Suspected Online Cult

They went missing after reportedly becoming involved with an online cult run from a Georgia prison by convicted sex offender Rashad Jamal.

Authorities in St. Louis, Missouri, believe that the disappearance of six people, including two toddlers, is linked to an online cult. As Fox 2 reported, 24-year-old Mikayla Thompson, 29-year-old Naaman Williams, 28-year-old Gerriele German, 2-year-old Ashton Williams, 35-year-old Ma’Kayla Wickerson, and 3-year-old Malaiyah Wickerson all went missing after reportedly getting involved with an online cult run by convicted sex offender Rashad Jamal.

Police say Jamal is currently serving an 18-year sentence in Georgia for child molestation as well as a 22-year probation term that will begin once his incarceration ends. Jamal has disputed the terms of those sentences, releasing a video on YouTube in which he said, “The only law I have broken was speaking out against oppression.” He also said, “The only thing I am guilty of is freeing the minds of my people and speaking out against this system, and I’ll never back down from that.”

Initial reports on the cult from Fox 2 did not indicate its name but provided details from Cartisha Morgan, mother of Ma’Kayla Wickerson, who said her daughter had abruptly cut off communication with her family, quit her job, and maxed out her credit cards. Morgan, who hasn’t heard from Wickerson or her granddaughter since March 2023, made several calls requesting a welfare check and assistance from child services, but nothing came of them.

Morgan described her attempts at contacting child services. “I was trying to let them know that something was not right,” she said. “Mental illness is real. Manipulation is real. There are a lot of things going on out here, and we just need to be aware of it.”

Berkeley Police Major Steve Runge, who has been investigating the group’s disappearance for close to five months, told the outlet, “Neighbors reported seeing these people [outside Nickerson’s residence] daily, worshiping the sun. When it was raining, they would come outside naked and run around the yard. They were digging up things in the yard.”

Runge said the cult’s core beliefs included polygamy, distrust of the government, and an off-the-grid lifestyle.

According to investigators, Jamal’s rhetoric “includes a mix of polygamy, sovereign citizenship, ancient mythology, and cosmic universe beliefs.”

Reports from NBC News established that the cult Jamal runs is called the University of Cosmic Intelligence, and its website declares that it is “GEARED TOWARDS ENLIGHTENING AND ILLUMINATING THE MINDS OF THE CARBONATED BEINGS A.K.A YOUR SO CALLED BLACK & LATINO PEOPLE OF EARTH.”

Shelita Gibson, who like Morgan is missing her daughter and grandchild, told KDSK that she is concerned for their safety. “I would like to know that they’re OK so that I can get a good night’s sleep,” Gibson said. “I would like to know they’re not hungry, they’re not cold, that no one is making her do things that she would have to pay for in the long run.”

Dr. Steven Hassan, a mental health expert and an expert on cults, offered his interpretation of Jamal’s teachings.

“I’ve developed a model called the BITE model of mind control. It stands for behavior control, information control, thought control, and emotional control,” said Hassan. “It’s very common for people to disappear when they get recruited, and it’s very common for them to be given phobias, irrational fears and to believe that their family isn’t good or they’re satanic or demonic or low-frequency or whatever. In other words, in the person’s mind, their loved ones are no longer viewed as loved ones. And that’s part of the mind hack that happens.”

Morgan just wants her family members, as well as the other missing parties, to reach out and let someone know they are safe and sound.

“I know that people have many different opinions of things, but if it was their family member, everybody wants to know that their family members is OK” said Morgan. “If [Wickerson] chooses to stay or not, I just want to know that her and my granddaughter are safe. If she can, just contact us and let us know.”