The baffling disappearance of six people from Missouri has taken an even darker turn as investigators say mounting evidence links the group to the University of Cosmic Intelligence , an online movement police now openly describe as a cult with extreme beliefs and disturbing influence over its followers.
The group — four adults and two young children — vanished in August 2023 after living together in a University of Cosmic Intelligence cult rental home in the St. Louis area. They were last seen at a hotel in Florissant, Missouri, and have not been heard from since. Despite years of investigation, authorities have yet to confirm their whereabouts, but say the case remains active and deeply troubling.
Those missing are Ma’Kayla Wickerson, 28; her five-year-old daughter Malaiyah; Mikayla Thompson, 27; Naaman Williams, 32; Gerrielle German, 30; and her five-year-old daughter Ashton. Police believe the adults were heavily involved in the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult prior to their disappearance.
The women who conspired to kill seems they were part of a cult.
They should never see the light of day.
At the time of the killing, multiple reports linked Hider and Pinkins to a cult named the University of Cosmic Intelligence, led by a man named Rashad Jamal White, who goes… pic.twitter.com/C2T0isPimG
— floridanow1 (@floridanow1) October 26, 2024
The University of Cosmic Intelligence cult online group was founded by Rashad Jamal, who amassed thousands of followers through livestreamed lectures promoting unconventional spiritual beliefs and anti-government ideology. Jamal has denied knowing the missing six or leading a cult, but police say his teachings played a significant role in shaping the group’s behavior.
Rashad Jamal is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in Georgia after being convicted on charges related to child molestation and child cruelty, according to reports cited by Fox News. Despite his incarceration, authorities say his online influence continued to spread through recorded content and social media.
Berkeley Police Major Steve Runge said investigators uncovered new evidence strengthening the belief that the missing group had become deeply entrenched in the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult ideology. A diary recovered from the abandoned home raised immediate red flags.
“We recovered a diary from one of the people that went missing, and the writings in that diary are something you would see with brainwashing, just repetitive, ‘I am a god, I am a god, I am a god,’” Major Runge said.
Neighbors reported increasingly bizarre behavior in the weeks leading up to the disappearance of alleged University of Cosmic Intelligence cult members. According to police, residents described seeing the group engaging in daily rituals and erratic activities that alarmed the surrounding community.
The missing 6, cult ties and a new lead https://t.co/cIw0Kr8sej via @YouTube
“University of Cosmic Intelligence.”
— Des (@blaqbeauty) February 6, 2026
“Neighbors reported seeing these people outside daily, worshipping the sun,” Runge said. He added that weather conditions did not appear to deter the behavior. “When it was raining, they would come outside naked and run around the yard. They were digging up things in the yard,” Runge said.
Other neighbors told investigators they observed the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult group sitting in tall grass with their palms facing upward on sunny days, hugging trees, and burying coins in the yard. Police also noted reports that members were seen hanging out on the roof of the home without clothing.
Inside the residence, investigators found personal belongings left behind, including food, clothing, and laundry still in machines. Police also discovered what appeared to be an altar wrapped in copper, reinforcing concerns that the group had fully embraced the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult teachings before disappearing.
Runge described the University of Cosmic Intelligence cult as an anti-government movement that encourages followers to isolate themselves from society and abandon conventional life. He said the cult promotes beliefs centered on polygamy, off-the-grid living, and apocalyptic preparation.
Police believe the six have become followers of Rashad Jamal, a convicted child m-l–t-r and former rapper-turned-online guru who operates the University of Cosmic Intelligence.😳 https://t.co/jG4k1pcGT4
— Howard Henderson (@hhendersonphd) January 16, 2024
“It’s very off the grid stuff,” Runge said. “How to prepare for doomsday. A lot of it, the end of the world is coming. And they had a very solid belief that we’re not from here. We’re not from this planet.”
Despite the troubling discoveries, Rashad Jamal has denied being a cult leader or having any personal connection to the missing group. Speaking previously to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, he insisted he had never met them and learned of their disappearance only after seeing television reports.
“I am pretty sure I have never met these people,” Jamal said. He also claimed that the attention surrounding the case led him to believe authorities were unfairly targeting him. “I believe I have a target on my back,” Jamal said. The alleged University of Cosmic Intelligence cult leader maintained that his involvement with followers is limited to online lectures. “I get on my phone and I give a lecture. I go live, and then I get off the phone,” he said. “I do not know the people that are in my live stream. It’s too many people.”
Family members of the missing remain desperate for answers. Cartisha Morgan, whose daughter and granddaughter are among those who vanished, said she fears her loved ones were vulnerable and drawn into the group during a difficult period. “When you start seeing the signs of mental illness, take it seriously,” Morgan said. “I just want them home, and I hope that they’re safe.”
Police say there have been no confirmed sightings of the missing University of Cosmic Intelligence cult group in nearly three years, but investigators insist they will not stop searching. “I’ve promised the families that we will not give up, and we haven’t given up,” Runge said. “I really hope we find them.”
