Investigators retrace movements from a Berkeley rental in 2023 to possible travel beyond Missouri, focusing on two young children’s welfare.
BERKELEY, Mo. — Police said this week they are reviewing a new tip in the unsolved disappearance of four adults and two children who were last confirmed together in north St. Louis County in 2023. The six — linked by relatives and detectives to an online group called the University of Cosmic Intelligence — dropped off the grid after leaving a rental home near the airport during an eviction.
Officials say the case sits at the intersection of social media influence and missing-person work, with few routine records to follow. The missing are Ma’Kayla Wickerson and her daughter, Malaiyah; Gerielle (also spelled Gerrielle) German and her son, Ashton; along with adults Naaman Williams and Mikayla Thompson. Family members say the adults embraced an online belief system before the summer of 2023, changed routines, and then cut contact. The new tip, according to police, offers a checkable location and time frame outside the immediate St. Louis area, renewing efforts to pull hotel logs, vehicle data and financial traces that could show where the group went next.
In the months before the disappearances, neighbors noticed daily rituals in Wickerson’s backyard: meditating in the grass, standing with palms up to the sun and, during storms, rushing outside. Officers documented the reports and returned after an eviction notice was posted, finding the house largely cleared. Family members said IDs for multiple adults were left behind. German’s mother said her daughter left Mississippi for Missouri with her young son, saying she was on a “spiritual journey,” and then stopped answering. Investigators later verified retail security images and short hotel records in Florissant in August 2023, the last solid entries on the timeline. After that, police said there were no confirmed phone pings, banking transactions or school or medical records for the children.
The online group at the center of the relatives’ concerns is built around livestream lectures and “cosmic” teachings that have drawn a large following. Its founder has publicly denied knowing the missing individuals or leading a cult, and authorities have not alleged a crime tied to belief or speech. Police say their focus is narrow: locating the six and assessing the children’s safety. The adults’ ages now range from mid-20s to early 30s; the children are about five. A police official said unknowns still dominate the file: whether the group stayed together after August 2023, whether anyone used new names to travel, and whether they relied on cash or aid from followers to move undetected.
Families described sudden breaks from normal life. Wickerson quit her job months before she left; relatives said her online posts turned apocalyptic. A cousin said Thompson, who once helped with childcare, also stopped answering texts. In Horn Lake, Miss., German’s relatives recalled a brief sighting in summer 2023 before she and Ashton were reportedly seen near Berkeley. Former neighbors said the rental sat vacant by early fall; a few pieces of mail and flyers collected on the porch. A nearby business owner said customers occasionally asked if police ever found the “sun-worshippers,” a nickname that stuck after a neighbor’s backyard snapshot circulated.
Police say the fresh tip is being checked against license-plate readers, hotel registries and interstate databases. Detectives have asked agencies in neighboring states to look for the adults’ names and the children’s possible enrollments. If the tip firms up, officials plan to brief relatives and release a refined timeline. As of Friday, no court filings indicated charges or custody actions connected to the case in St. Louis County. Officials declined to say where the new lead points, citing concerns that premature disclosure could contaminate witness accounts or prompt false sightings that drain resources.
On the block where the rental stands, a handful of residents still remember the summer’s odd rhythm and the abrupt quiet that followed. “You hope somebody knows something,” a neighbor said. A former co-worker of Wickerson’s called the disappearance “unreal,” adding that her desk at work sat untouched for weeks. Police said they welcome verifiable, time-stamped information — not rumors — as they work through the latest records request linked to the tip.
As of Friday, Berkeley police said the case remains open with the new lead under review. The next milestone, they said, will be an update once they confirm whether the tip matches travel or lodging records tied to any of the six.
Author note: Last updated February 6, 2026.