Episode 63: Malaiyah Wickerson & Ashton Mitchell - Berkeley, MO | Cults, Murder & the Missing Six

What started as a missing child flyer at the bottom of a grocery store mailer turned into one of the strangest cases we’ve covered yet. Two mothers. Two small children. Two separate families. The same “spiritual journey.” The same house in Berkeley, Missouri. And then… they all disappeared.

Episode Summary

Today, we’re covering the disappearance of Malaiyah Wickerson and Ashton Mitchell, two little kids who vanished alongside four adults in a case that somehow spirals into allegations of cult influence, complete isolation from loved ones, and a mystery that still has more questions than answers.

In late 2022, 24-year-old Ma’Kayla Wickerson moved from St. Louis to Berkeley, Missouri, with her young daughter, Malaiyah, describing the move as a spiritual journey. Her family immediately felt something wasn’t right. Communication became less frequent… until eventually it stopped completely.

Then months later, another mother made an eerily similar choice. Twenty-seven-year-old Gerrielle German left Mississippi with her 3-year-old son, Ashton, and moved into the same house, also calling it a spiritual journey. Both women cut off contact with family. Both disappeared. And neither child has been seen since.

When investigators searched the Berkeley home, they found signs suggesting the group may have abruptly abandoned everything behind. IDs left inside. Evidence of isolation. Journals. Strange behavior reported by neighbors. Investigators later began looking into possible ties to the online group known as the University of Cosmic Intelligence (UCI), a controversial movement whose teachings centered around detachment from family, rejecting modern life, and preparing for spiritual ascension.

The last confirmed sightings happened in August of 2023. Since then, no verified digital activity. No financial trail. No confirmed sightings. No answers.

Years later, investigators continue following leads across state and international lines, including a possible 2026 lead connected to social media that remains unconfirmed.

Today, Malaiyah would be 5 years old. Ashton would be 6.

And their families are still waiting. Cases like this are why we tell stories that don’t always make national headlines, because somebody, somewhere, may hold the missing piece.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Ashton Mitchell or Malaiyah Wickerson, please contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1 (800) 843-5678 or the Berkeley Police Department at (314) 524-3311.

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