In the summer of 2023, a heart-wrenching story began to unfold in Missouri involving a two-year-old girl named Malaiyah Wickerson. The little girl, with black hair and brown eyes, was last seen on August 6, 2023, in Florissant, Missouri. She disappeared along with her 25-year-old mother, Ma'Kayla Wickerson, and four other people with whom they shared a rental home in Berkeley, Missouri.
The group included another young child, three-year-old Ashton Mitchell, his mother Gerrielle German, and two other adults, Mikayla Thompson and Naaman Williams. Their sudden vanishing left behind a scene that suggested a hasty departure, with food left in the microwave and laundry in the washing machine, yet valuables remained. This puzzling scene was the beginning of a complex and disturbing investigation that would be linked to a so-called online spiritual cult.
The circumstances leading up to the group's disappearance were marked by increasingly unusual behavior that caused growing concern among their families. Ma'Kayla Wickerson had reportedly embarked on what she described as a 'spiritual journey,' moving to the Berkeley home in November 2022. Over time, communication with her family became infrequent and eventually ceased. Neighbors reported seeing the residents of the house engaging in daily meditation and worship in their backyard, sometimes unclothed. Family members noted that the adults had become followers of an online personality named Rashad Jamal, who led a group called the University of Cosmic Intelligence. Followers were known to disconnect from their families, quit their jobs, and go 'off the grid.' Just before they vanished, Ma'Kayla, who was on the lease, was served with an eviction notice for being behind on rent.
The six individuals were last seen together at a Quality Inn hotel in Florissant on August 6, 2023. Since that day, there have been no confirmed sightings. The investigation into their whereabouts has involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI. Authorities believe the group may have traveled to Mexico, an island in the Gulf of Mexico, or the Atlanta, Georgia area. The case is particularly distressing due to the presence of the two young children, Malaiyah and Ashton. The investigation remains active, with authorities following up on any potential leads, including a recent one involving a TikTok photograph that may have shown one of the missing women. The overarching narrative of this case is one of families torn apart by a group's sudden and complete withdrawal from society under the influence of an online entity, leaving a void of information and a desperate search for a little girl and the five other people who disappeared with her.Last Seen: Aug 6, 2023
