In Missouri, six people reported missing in August are now thought to have been drawn into a cult run by Rashad Jamal, a convicted child molester, according to the police. Jamal, currently serving an 18-year sentence in Georgia for child molestation and cruelty to children, was identified by the Berkeley Police as the cult leader.
Berkeley Police Maj. Steve Runge told KSDK, an NBC affiliate in St. Louis, that investigators believe these individuals have become followers of Jamal. Formerly a rapper, Jamal has transformed into an online spiritual teacher, running the so-called University of Cosmic Intelligence. His website claims to enlighten the minds of Black and Latino people.
Shelita Gibson, whose daughter and grandson are among the missing, expressed her concern to KSDK. She wants to know that they are safe, not suffering, and not being forced into any harmful actions.
Gibson’s daughter, 26-year-old Gerielle German, and her 3-year-old grandson, Ashton Mitchell, were last seen in August at a Quality Inn near the St. Louis Lambert International Airport along with the other missing individuals: Naaman Williams, 29, Mikayla Thompson, 23, Ma’Kayla Wickerson, 25, and her 3-year-old daughter, Malaiyah. They all lived in a rented house in Berkeley before disappearing.
Wickerson’s mother, Cartisha Morgan, told KSDK she hasn’t heard from her daughter since August and believes she may have been vulnerable due to postpartum depression, making her an easy target for online predators.
In a jailhouse interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Jamal denied being a cult leader, despite referring to himself as a god or messiah in his popular online videos. He claimed innocence regarding the molestation charges, attributing them to a custody dispute. Jamal also denied knowing the six missing individuals, stating that he doesn’t personally know the people who watch his online lectures.
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