Bizarre Beliefs, Dangerous Practices, Disappearing Followers…Inside an Internet Cult.

The article focuses on the disappearance of six individuals in Missouri who were followers of Rashad Jamal White, a rapper-turned-spirituality influencer promoting a belief system called the University of Cosmic Intelligence. Jamal, currently imprisoned for a 2023 conviction related to sexual abuse, has over 100,000 online followers who reportedly adopt new identities, reject family and government contact, and live off the grid. Among the missing is Ma'Kayla Wickerson, a young mother whose family fears she and her child have been "brainwashed" and lost to the group. Authorities consider the group a cult and continue searching for the missing persons, while Jamal denies being a cult leader and has not been charged in connection with the disappearances.