Four women and two children who disappeared from the St. Louis area in August were allegedly members of a cult led by a TikTok user who is a convicted sex offender, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.
According to authorities, Mikayla Thompson, 25, her cousin Ma'Kayla Wickerson, 36, and Wickerson's daughter Malaiyah Wickerson, 3, went missing in August from Wickerson's home near the St. Louis International Airport, where they had been living together.
They had reportedly been living with Naaman Williams, 30, Gerrielle German, 27, and her child Ashton Williams, 2, all of whom are also now missing.
Police say that they soon learned that each of the missing adults was a follower on social media of Rashad Jamal, who was convicted in Georgia of child molestation last year and is currently serving an 18-year sentence.
Jamal claims to be a prophet and that he and his followers are gods, and he continues to influence his followers through a YouTube channel called the University of Cosmic Intelligence.
"They have to turn up somewhere. This cannot be the only case of missing people in this country tied to this cult," Berkeley, Missouri, Police Maj. Steve Runge said in a press conference on Tuesday.
"Neighbors reported seeing these people outside 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."
Fox News Digital reported that some of Jamal's followers have previously been linked to violent crimes, such as the 2022 murder of University of Central Florida student Adam Simjee in 2022.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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