Six people, two of whom are from Mississippi, have not been seen since August after allegedly following a cult leader in Missouri.
According to authorities, the group was last spotted at a Quality Inn Hotel in Florissant, Mo., on August 13, 2023.
Horn Lake police have confirmed that Gerrielle German and her infant son, Ashton Mitchell, are two of the individuals who went missing after following popular social media spirituality influencer, Rashad Jamal White, as reported by Fox News.
Berkeley police have also reported that the following individuals are missing:
- 36-year-old Ma’Kayla Wickerson (St. Louis)
- 3-year-old Malaiyah Wickerson (St. Louis)
- 25-year-old Mikayla Thompson (St. Louis)
- 30-year-old Naaman Williams (Washington D.C.)
Investigators in the Missouri city were able to determine that the group had been following White as a spiritual leader. White, who founded an online religious group called The University of Cosmic Intelligence and garnered a large following on social media, found himself in legal trouble in August — after the six individuals came up missing.
“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),” The Berkeley Police Department stated in a press release. “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.”
White was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by 22 years of probation for child molestation and child cruelty charges out of Georgia. The social media influencer has maintained his innocence. He has also denied his role as a cult leader and says he has no idea how the six have vanished.
Several of White’s ardent followers have also stood by their leader, telling law enforcement that he has not done anything wrong. Berkeley police even say that some of the people who adhere to White’s teachings have alienated themselves from their families, insisted on living “off the grid,” and are financially irresponsible with credit cards.
The four missing adults are accused of going by aliases of different mythological gods or goddesses. German allegedly went by the name Anatari Anu Ariel while living in a Missouri home with other members of the religious entity before their disappearance.
Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to contact local law enforcement or the FBI.
