Ashton Kai Mitchell, age three at the time, vanished from Florissant, Missouri, on August 6, 2023, along with his mother Gerielle German. Both had left Horn Lake, Mississippi, in July after Gerielle told her family she was taking a spiritual journey; family members say Gerielle’s behavior changed beforehand and she began meditating and speaking about high frequency and cosmic husbands. She left her four-year-old daughter with relatives.

Ashton and Gerielle were part of a group of six adults and children who disappeared together after staying in a rental home in Berkeley. The household included Ma’Kayla Wickerson and her daughter Malaiyah, Mikayla Thompson, and Naaman Williams. Neighbors reported frequent backyard meditation and worship; some residents reportedly used aliases of mythological gods and goddesses. The rental showed signs of sudden departure and the group had been served an eviction notice days before they were last seen. The final confirmed sighting was at a Quality Inn in Florissant.

Investigators have looked into a possible link to an online group called the University of Cosmic Intelligence; that group’s leader, Rashad Jamal White, has denied knowing the missing people. The Berkeley Police Department and the FBI have searched leads including locations in Mexico, an island in the Gulf of Mexico, and Atlanta, Georgia, but the group’s digital and financial trails have gone cold. Does anyone have information about Gerielle, Ashton, or the other missing residents?