(Image Credit: the root.com)
Six people went missing in Berkley, MO after being suspected of being a part of a cult. Naaman Williams, Gerielle German, her son, Ashton Mitchell, Ma’Kayla Wickerson, and her three-year-old daughter, Malaiyah, and Mikayla Thompson. The six were staying at a rental house in Berkley before they received eviction papers and decided to leave. It was later discovered that the six were following the leader Rashad Jamal who founded the group.
Rashad Jamal and the Cult
Rashad Jamal was a rapper before he decided to found his group called “The University of Cosmic Intelligence” which was aimed primarily toward racial minorities such as African Americans and Latinos. Rashad had a following of over 300,000 and would post lectures about his beliefs to the community. He mainly focused on his spiritual teachings when posting on his platform. Jamal was later arrested and convicted of being a child molester, when asked about his group he denied it ever being a cult. Rashad was also questioned about the six missing, which he denied ever knowing about and stated he only posted videos about his teachings and there was no way he could know who each person was that was following him.
Jamal is currently serving an 18-year sentence in Georgia for child molestation.
Cult Activities
The six individuals that stayed in the rental house together were suspected of following Jamal's spiritual teachings and neighbors stated that they took part in rather unusual activities. Neighbors often found the group sitting in a circle with their palms facing up on sunny days. More awkward behaviors were observed such as hugging trees or burying coins in the front yard. Later on, the group left after receiving eviction papers and they haven’t been seen since. They has been missing for months now, and as time passed more suspected followers went missing as well, it was brought up that the group might be living off the grid or in some kind of private location, possibly to meet up with other followers of Rashad.
Current Standings
Rashad's platforms are still active and are fighting the cult accusations. Rashad's accounts have continuously been reported for violating community guidelines. Authorities are seeking charges against Jamal due to the amount of people he has negatively influenced.
The six are still currently missing with their families desperately attempting to reach out to just have peace of mind that they are safe. Since the six have gone missing, more have followed in their steps. Like the original group, many of the people who have gone missing who have been suspected of following Jamal have abruptly gone off the grid and cut off all contact with family. Further investigation is taking place to identify all missing persons.
Comments