Police in Missouri as well as the FBI are searching for six people, including two children, who have been reported missing after authorities say they followed a so-called cult leader who claimed to be a “prophet,” according to reports.
Cops say the six people were followers of a popular online spirituality influencer, Rashad Jamal White, and disappeared from the St. Louis area on Aug. 13, 2023, according to Fox News.
The Berkeley Police Department is searching for Mikayla Thompson, 25, of St. Louis; Naaman Williams, 30, of Washington, D.C.; Gerrielle German, 27, of Horn Lake, Mississippi; 2-year-old Ashton Mitchell of Horn Lake; Ma’Kayla Wickerson, 36, of St. Louis; and 3-year-old Malaiyah Wickerson of St. Louis. They disappeared from a rental home near Lambert St. Louis Airport, police said in a press release obtained by Fox News.
“The investigation revealed these individuals had become a part of a spiritual cult and they follow the teachings of a man named Rashad Jamal (White). Rashad Jamal has tens of thousands of followers across multiple social media platforms. It should be noted he was recently convicted of various crimes in the State of Georgia and is serving a lengthy prison sentence,” Berkeley police said in the release obtained by Fox News.
The Berkeley Police Department released the last-known images of some of the missing people. One of the images shows four people who appear to be meditating on the property of a home outside St. Louis.
Berkeley Police Department said they searched the house, they found it left as if the occupants had just “gone to the store” and were expecting to return. Cops said they found things such as food still in the microwave, laundry still in the washing machine, and valuables left behind, according to The Independent.
Police also discovered an altar, items wrapped in copper, and other odd findings that led them to believe the adults were fully “living this cult,” The Independent reported.
Rashad Jamal White, who also goes by the stage name Rashad Jamal, is a self-proclaimed prophet, rapper, poet and revolutionary, according to his Instagram profile, which has more than 90,000 followers. He is also popular on X, formerly Twitter; TikTok, and YouTube.
In August, White was convicted in a Georgia court for child molestation and cruelty to children. He was later sentenced to 18 years in prison, which he is currently serving in Georgia.
White also is said to lead the online religious group called the University of Cosmic Intelligence, which claims to be “geared towards enlightening and illuminating the minds of the carbonated beings a.k.a your so-called Black & Latino people of Earth,” according to its website.
White has also posted conspiracy theory claims online, including that birds are drones operated by the U.S. government to spy on citizens, the Grand Canyon is a gateway to Africa, and the Mississippi River is the Nile River, among others, according to the New York Post.
Despite being behind bars, White is still releasing videos on social media and songs to his YouTube channel.
He posted a message on his social media channel last week denying any wrongdoing possibly regarding allegations of missing people saying, “The only law I had broken was speaking out against oppression…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.”
A mother and grandmother of two of the missing people – Gerrielle German and her son Ashton Mitchell – spoke to Horn Lake Police and said her daughter and grandchild had been missing since July, according to WREG.
Police spoke to German’s ex-husband as well.
Capt. Jody Keene of the Horn Lake Police told WREG, “German’s ex-husband told them his wife left to go on a spiritual journey.”
Keene also told WREG German and Ashton were last seen in August at a residence in Berkeley, Missouri.
“We did obtain her phone records. Her phone was shut off. Showed she made her last two calls in the St. Louis area which is basically near the Berkeley residence,” Capt. Keene told WREG.
Digital has reached out to Horn Lake Police for further details and comment and has not heard back.
The investigation into the six missing people is being handled by the Berkeley Police Department in Missouri, which said that the FBI is involved, according to reports.
Digital has reached out to the Berkeley Police Department for more information and comment and has not heard back.
“The level of disconnect these cult members have demonstrated with friends and family members is unfathomable,” Berkeley Police said in a press release obtained by the New York Post. “We have learned that similar cult members travel at great lengths to live off the grid and stay with fellow cult members and that their economic status does not appear to be a factor.”
White has not been charged or named a suspect in connection with the disappearance of his alleged followers.
Anyone with information about the missing group is asked to contact the Berkeley Police Department at 314-524-3311.