People across America are disappearing into a shadowy black supremacy movement linked to a string of killings: The mystery of the missing banker mom and her daughter

When Cartisha Morgan’s daughter told her she was leaving home to embark on a ‘spiritual journey’ in late 2022, she tried to be supportive despite her quiet reservations.

Morgan told the Daily Mail that Ma’Kayla Wickerson had undergone a series of subtle but seemingly harmless changes in the months leading up to the announcement.

The 25-year-old single mom was drifting away from her Christian upbringing and embracing new-age spiritual practices instead. She gifted loved ones crystals, spoke about the cosmos and spent hours meditating in the sunshine.

But what appeared to be an innocent search for meaning was, in reality, the first step into a dangerous belief system that would eventually swallow both Wickerson and her two-year-old daughter Malaiyah whole.

Unbeknownst to Morgan, Wickerson had been drawn into the orbit of the University of Cosmic Intelligence (UCI) – an alleged online cult founded by a child molester who preaches that black people are gods and the rightful inhabitants of Earth.

Today, Wickerson and Malaiyah are among six UCI followers who vanished from Missouri in the summer of 2023. Nearly three years later, none have been found and investigators have uncovered few credible clues explaining what became of them.

‘I had no idea what she was involved in,’ an emotional Morgan said: speaking to the Daily Mail at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas.

‘Living every day knowing that my daughter and granddaughter may be in danger from domestic violence, sexual abuse and any other possibilities… it’s just overwhelming.’

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Wickerson and Malaiyah (seen right) have been ensnared by the University of Cosmic Intelligence (UCI), an alleged online cult preaching bizarre prophecies

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The mother and daughter, now 28 and five, have not been seen since August 2023

The first signs of trouble came in November 2022 when Wickerson and her daughter moved from her hometown of St. Louis to Berkeley, Missouri.

Soon after making the move, phone calls home became infrequent before stopping altogether.

Then in March 2023, Morgan received a call from her daughter’s boss informing her she had quit her banking job. When confronted, Wickerson insisted she was planning to launch her own business.

Morgan decided to visit later that month. When she arrived at her daughter’s home, she found it filled with unfamiliar faces.

Wickerson told her the strangers were ‘her family’ now and asked her not to visit anymore.

She respected her daughter’s wishes but continued driving past the house from time to time to make sure everything appeared okay.

Morgan also began researching Wickerson’s new associates online: Mikayla Thompson, Gerrielle German and Naaman Williams.

What she found alarmed her. The trio were all followers of UCI whom Wickerson had met online and appeared to be living with her and Malaiyah.

German’s three-year-old son, Ashton Mitchell, was also staying at the property.

Reading about the group’s beliefs, Morgan said her heart sank.

‘I just couldn’t believe it,’ she said. ‘It was overwhelming and my emotions were all over the place.’

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Cartisha Morgan told the Daily Mail at CrimeCon that the absence of answers has led to mounting fears for the safety of her daughter and granddaughter

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Mikayla Thompson (left), Gerielle German (center) and Ma’Kayla Wickerson(right) are shown on security footage captured in August 2023

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UCI was founded by Rashad Jamal White, who is serving an 18-year prison sentence in Georgia for child molestation

In the months that followed, Morgan requested two welfare checks on her daughter and granddaughter. Each time, Wickerson spoke with officers and no further action was taken.

By August 14, 2023, however, Morgan still had not heard from her daughter and called police again.

When officers arrived at Wickerson’s rental home, they found it abandoned.

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Inside, police found UCI-related paraphernalia and evidence suggesting Malaiyah and Ashton may have been living without proper care or access to basic necessities.

Neighbors told investigators the group would dance in the rain, hug trees and spend long periods staring at the sun from the backyard and rooftop – sometimes naked.

Further investigation uncovered surveillance footage from a convenience store in Florissant, Missouri, on August 4, 2023, showing Wickerson, Thompson and German stocking up on supplies.

Investigators later learned the group had briefly stayed at a Quality Inn across the street between August 2 and August 6.

Then they vanished.

Nearly three years later, where they went next remains a mystery.

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German’s son, Ashton Mitchell, also five, is missing along with Malaiyah

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Age progression images released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children show what the pair may look like now

Wickerson and the others deleted their social media accounts, switched off their phones and have not been seen or heard from since.

Investigators have pursued leads across the United States and overseas – from Memphis and San Francisco to Canada and Scotland – working with federal agencies and local departments to track down possible sightings.

Authorities believe the group could be in the Atlanta area, where UCI has known ties or possibly in Mexico or the Caribbean.

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George Ervin, a detective sergeant with the Berkeley Police Department, said one of the greatest challenges is that UCI has no physical headquarters or formal structure – it exists almost entirely online.

He likened the search to chasing shadows.

‘As vast as the internet is, it’s extremely difficult… for all we know, they could be here in Las Vegas at the conference, and we would never know because we have no way to track them,’ Ervin said.

‘Early on, they were selling sticks, crystals, oil and tarot readings electronically, but since their disappearance, we haven’t had an electronic footprint to follow.’

The University of Cosmic Intelligence was founded by Rashad Jamal White, who is serving an 18-year prison sentence in Georgia for child molestation and cruelty to children.

Through YouTube videos and his website, White preaches a blend of conspiracy theories, spirituality and racial mythology, teaching that black and Latino people are divine beings and the original inhabitants of Earth, while people of other races are not from this planet.

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Morgan says there isn’t a day that goes by that she doesn’t think of her granddaughter

Rashad Jamal White has denied being a cult leader and said he has nothing to do with the disappearance

Among his other claims are that rainbows are manufactured to control an ‘alternate dimension’ and that wealthy families and politicians are reptilian shapeshifters who feed on the blood of gods.

UCI’s YouTube channel has amassed more than 236,000 followers and features hours-long monologues.

According to Ervin, followers often cut ties with relatives, quit their jobs, adopt new spiritual identities, engage in polyamorous relationships and become increasingly isolated from the outside world.

White, however, denies being a cult leader.

Although he frequently refers to himself as a prophet, messiah and god, he has rejected comparisons to Charles Manson and insists UCI is simply an online platform where he shares his views.

‘I’m just giving you my opinion on a plethora of different subjects,’ White told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in 2024. ‘That doesn’t make me a cult leader.’

White also denied knowing Wickerson or any of the missing followers and said he had no involvement in their disappearance.

‘I am pretty sure I have never met these people,’ he said. ‘I get on my phone and I give a lecture. I go live, and then I get off the phone. I do not know the people that are in my livestream.’

Despite White’s denials, followers of his teachings have been linked to several serious criminal cases in recent years.

Yasmine Hider and Krystal Pinkins were convicted in 2024 of murder, kidnapping and robbery after attacking two college students at gunpoint in Alabama. Investigators said the pair were living in an off-grid community that followed White’s teachings.

In a separate case, Alabama man Damien Washam was accused of killing his mother and attacking his brother and uncle with a sword before being found not guilty by reason of insanity.

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Followers of UCI often cut ties with relatives, quit their jobs, adopt new spiritual identities, engage in polyamorous relationships

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Also among the missing is Naaman Williams

Police stress there is no evidence UCI directed, encouraged or was aware of any crimes allegedly committed by its followers.

Nor do investigators have any reason to believe Wickerson, Malaiyah or the others are currently in immediate danger.

The search, however, continues.

A promising development in the case came in February when investigators shared that a TikTok profile page sent to detectives appeared to show one of the missing women.

At the time, police said they were in the process of serving TikTok with a warrant to access the user’s information and location.

Ervin told the Daily Mail on Sunday that so far the lead hasn’t resulted in any significant developments.

Earlier this year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) released age progression images showing what Malaiyah and Ashton may look like now.

Morgan is hopeful that answers will soon be forthcoming, leaning on her faith for strength and comfort in the meantime.

Speaking directly to her daughter and granddaughter, she said: ‘That we love you, we pray that you’re safe, and we want you to come home.

‘We are here for you.’

SOURCE: People across America are disappearing into a shadowy black supremacy movement linked to a string of killings: The mystery of the missing banker mom and her daughter | Daily Mail Online