Police in Berkeley, Mo., say a new lead could help locate four adults and two children who disappeared in 2023 after following an internet-based movement.
BERKELEY, Mo. — Detectives say they are pursuing a new lead in the case of six people who vanished from a rental home near St. Louis Lambert International Airport in July and August 2023. Relatives and police have linked the group to an online collective known as the University of Cosmic Intelligence. Investigators said the tip, developed in recent weeks, is specific enough to check for travel and financial activity across state lines.
The case matters now because it blends modern digital influence with an old problem: missing persons who slip beyond traditional traces. Berkeley police are coordinating with regional and federal partners while families wait for word on the fates of Ma’Kayla Wickerson and her daughter, Malaiyah; Gerielle (also spelled Gerrielle) German and her son, Ashton; and adults Naaman Williams and Mikayla Thompson. Officials say the group broke off contact after unusual behavior surfaced at Wickerson’s rental home, and they abandoned the property after receiving eviction papers. The new lead, authorities say, could clarify where the group went after the last confirmed sightings in north St. Louis County.
Neighbors told police in summer 2023 that the adults spent hours outdoors, meditating and “worshipping the sun,” even during rain. The group scattered after eviction proceedings, leaving behind identification cards and belongings, relatives said. Family members reported that Wickerson quit her job and ran up credit cards before the disappearances. German’s mother said her daughter left Mississippi to join friends in Berkeley and later stopped calling; German’s younger child, not with the group, remained with family. Investigators traced the missing to a Florissant store and a nearby hotel in August 2023, but no verified sightings have been logged since late that month. “There’s no current digital footprint,” Maj. Steve Runge of the Berkeley Police Department said previously, describing a dead end on phones, banking and routine records.
Police say all six expressed interest in the University of Cosmic Intelligence, an online movement built around livestream lectures and esoteric “cosmic” teachings. Families and investigators have referenced its founder, who has publicly denied knowing the group. The missing include Wickerson, now 28, and her daughter, Malaiyah, now 5; German, whose son Ashton is also 5; Williams, now 32; and Thompson, a Wickerson cousin in her 20s. Records place the adults together at Wickerson’s Berkeley rental near the airport before they left. One neighbor shared a photo that appeared to show the four adults gathered in a backyard. Officials emphasize they have not issued criminal charges related to belief or association; the focus is locating the missing and confirming the children’s welfare. Unknowns include whether the group remained intact after August 2023 and whether anyone used assumed names to travel.
The area has seen periodic tips, but police say many proved vague—secondhand “sightings” on social media with no verifiable timestamps. The new lead, detectives say, is different: a specific place and time window that can be tested against hotel registries, rental records and license-plate hits. Investigators have requested out-of-state checks and are reviewing any transactions tied to known aliases. Previously, family members told reporters that Wickerson’s online posts grew apocalyptic in tone before she vanished, and that strangers were staying at her home. Berkeley officers documented reports of people “burying coins” and “hugging trees” in the yard. None of those actions are crimes, but they became part of the timeline: a shift in routine, the eviction notice, rapid move-outs, the last retail/hotel images, and then silence.
Relatives describe mounting costs and worry. “I just want to know that they’re safe,” Wickerson’s mother, Cartisha Morgan, said, adding that her daughter was typically family-oriented and steady at work. German’s mother, Shelita Gipson, said she last spoke with her daughter in July 2023; she said German called her plans a “spiritual journey.” A Berkeley official said the two children are a central concern, given their ages when last seen—both around three at the time—and the lack of medical or school records since. Former neighbors recall the house as quiet after the summer of 2023; grass grew tall, and a few cardboard boxes sat near the porch. A security camera at a nearby business captured a group that matched the adults’ descriptions, but the video did not provide clear faces or plates.
Detectives say next steps include checking the new lead against court and travel databases and re-interviewing past witnesses for narrower time frames. Police have flagged any government benefit claims or school enrollments under the children’s names in Missouri and neighboring states. If the tip aligns with a jurisdiction, agencies plan briefings there. If not, officials say they will release an updated timeline summarizing what is confirmed and what remains unverified, including precise last sightings in Florissant and Berkeley in August 2023. As of Friday, no arrest warrants or neglect petitions connected to the case were listed in St. Louis County courts, and police had not announced any scheduled press conference dates. Officials said they will update families first, then issue a public notice if the lead checks out.
On the block where the rental sits, a neighbor said the summer of 2023 felt “strange, then suddenly quiet.” A mail carrier recalled undelivered envelopes piling up after the move-out. A former co-worker of Wickerson’s said she left her job abruptly and stopped responding to texts. “People still ask,” the co-worker said. “We don’t know anything more than that.” At a small park nearby, a parent said residents still share posts when a rumor circulates. “It’s the kids that stick with you,” he said. “You hope someone would say something if they saw them.” Police have urged anyone with firsthand, time-stamped information to contact them, stressing that hearsay and clipped screenshots slow the work of checking hard records.
As of Friday, investigators say the case remains open and active while they run the new lead through travel, lodging and financial checks. Officials said they expect to determine whether it is credible within days of obtaining the necessary records; if confirmed, the agency will outline the next milestone for the search.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.