Latest / Talking Trash & Tacos / Ep 67-The Missouri Missing Six
Transcript
- Talking Trash And Tacos: Welcome back listeners to Talking Trash and Tacos. Welcome back. So today we're diving into a story stranger than fiction, a real world mystery that's baffled investigators and captivated true crime fans for nearly three years. Six people, four adults and two young children, stepped away from their lives in St. Louis, Missouri in 2023 of August and were never heard from again. No calls, no social media, no bank activity, nothing. Just gone. That's right. Not missing socks or misplaced keys. Six whole humans vanished. Even Google was like, yeah, I got nothing. Totally. So who were these people? The missing group includes Michaela Wickerson 28, her daughter Malia, Malia? Malia. Malia. Maybe Malia five. That was a tough one. Thompson 27, Namin Williams does that say? Jereel ⁓ 30 and her daughter Ashton Mitchell five. That's a lot of people all six are connected through a shared belief. they were living in a rental home ⁓ in Berkeley, Missouri near St. Louis Lambert International. airport and that connection turns out to be key to the mystery that is already giving me the roommate situation gone full Twilight Zone that's a lot of adults in one household it is and I was a little concerned about that too. Like it's just a lot and how did they meet each other? where did like they weren't always friends So believe the group followed an online movement called the University of Cosmic Intelligence. Described by police as having a cult-like influence. wasn't an actual university. There was no campus. There were no degrees, just an online spiritual network led by Rashad Jamal White. White is currently serving 18 years in prison in Georgia for child molestation and cruelty to children. So through live streams and social media, he gained thousands of followers by promoting unconventional beliefs involving spirituality, distrust of government systems, apocalyptic thinking, ⁓ ideas that followers were spiritually or cosmically different from the rest of society. So he denies knowing the missing group personally, but investigators say the connection between his teachings and the group's lifestyle were very clear. I'm not from this planet is fun to say until you stop paying rent because of it. neighbors reported unusual behavior in the months before the disappearance. Daily sun worship and meditation were part of the rituals sometimes fully clothes sometimes not digging holes burying objects in the yard standing or gathering on the roof and creating makeshift altars with copper wrapped items I wonder if they did this the butthole sunning that's another weird one if they didn't they should because it seems up their alley it's supposedly spiritual or something oh gosh and and then suddenly in August, 2023, everything stopped. suddenly, August, 2023, everything stopped. When police later searched the home, they found laundry in the washer, food left behind, belongings still there, and life was suddenly paused. So no one packed up. Nothing was cleaned out. It was just abandoned. It's like they ran out to get some snacks and never came back. Yes. Did they? I wonder if they paid their rent. So many questions like where they get evicted. Like, who knows? ⁓ don't know. And ⁓ the timeline. Investigators pieced together. So the group left their rental home and they were later seen staying at a Quality Inn in fluorescent Missouri. I don't know about that. never heard of that town. So 13th, 2023 marks the last confirmed sighting. After that, no phone activity, no credit card use, no social media posts, nothing. So police rental cars, travel records, hospitals, and out of state leads, all dead ends. They went off grid so hard that Google Maps even shrugged. Yeah. Then in early 2026, a possible break. had surfaced a tic tac video damn tic tac. They appeared someone that investigators thought could be Michaela Wickerson. So police are now working to identify the poster and obtain account data that might reveal the location. But the video is not confirmed and ⁓ could be ⁓ misidentification unrelated footage. So still it's the first potential lead in years. Apparently TikTok is the new FBI now, which it is true. There are some people that solve these crimes that are just internet sleuths. It's true. I never really thought about it as being a TikTok FBI, but apparently that's where it's going. I mean, if I had all day to do that stuff, it would be entertaining and I probably could solve a crime, but I've got to work still. I know. Like I tried to do some like real investigating when the woman in point place was found shot in the trailer that got burned and I was on like live google like maps trying to like search the road find the camper look for a hole in the yard yeah and I did not have very good luck so I don't think I'm good sleuth as much as I think I could be a detective I think there's a lot to it so I get people props that actually like legit do it and have these fully like detailed yeah videos Yeah, all professional and I'm like, ⁓ must be If you ever see that behind me, means I've done some major research and I'd be shocked. Yeah. And we had a million followers. That would be awesome. We have cool gadgets. You know what I did find out though? I think... the girl that said that she does, what is it, like murder with my husband that you want? I think they've been doing that for eight years. They probably have, because I can tell they get annoyed with each other sometimes, like they don't love each other. That is so funny because Ron said that. Ron's like, I don't even think they like each other. Yeah, I get that. Really? I don't know. I just think he seems kind of aloof. I think she gets annoyed when he talks too much and I'm like, I don't know. No, Ron got mad because he says I talk too much and don't give you enough time to talk I intentionally choose to be the quieter one. All right. Well, if you ever want to talk more to these people that don't listen to us. ⁓ I talk. If I have someone to say, I'll talk and then we have to edit a lot. same. I get all carried away. So why did they disappear? Investigators believe the group may have cut ties with family, stopped using technology, gone off the grid intentionally, possibly adopted new identities or lifestyles. Police say that the digital disappearance looks intentional. Families, however, believe their loved ones were manipulated or worry especially about the two young children because remember the leader of this group they listened to was a molester and is in jail for child stuff. Yeah. And I, don't know what's going on. It seems crazy. If I vanished, at least somebody would get a snapchat first because I wouldn't be able to leave without like people do crimes and they put it on Facebook live and I'm like why? Just why? It's weird. what this case represents. So this case raises a bigger question about online influence, isolation, vulnerability, modern cult dynamics, and how digital communities can shape real ⁓ world decisions. That is true. So if you're a person in the world that is struggling, you are someone's main target. So be careful. Be careful. Don't believe everyone. gosh. Yes. Even if or just kidding. So Internet rabbit holes are fun until there's no Wi-Fi at the bottom. So theory one, they left intentionally. Police believe they may have chosen to leave society behind. Followers of the movement often talked about rejecting government systems or living independently. But family, they think that the departure was not voluntary and that they deserve proof that their loved ones are safe. I agree with that. And feel like even if they did leave intentionally. just feel like at least one of those people, if they were still around, would maybe try and connect or reach out. Like out of all those people, not one of those adults changed their mind. So living off grid does sound cool until door deaths can't find you. Yeah. I'd be starving and dying, but I'm also wondering how do they make money? How do they pay their rent? If they're part of a cult and all they do all day is pray to the sun god. And if the main cult leader in prison wouldn't that be another reason they might kind of try and get out of it like unless he has followers and that are taking over really unsure so some followers believed ⁓ was a spiritual shift or catastrophe if someone truly believes society is ending and disappearing might seem logical to them If aliens abduct me, Police tell my mom I wasn't ignoring her text because she will freak out. she will. Who will she talk to all day? Right. So my dad, my brother or my sister, they would take your place. So three experts say people drawn into these movements are often searching for belonging or purpose. And then once isolated, leaving becomes psychologically difficult because they're being brainwashed. they choosing isolation or are they pressured into it? Bad friend group energy, but make it cosmic Yeah, there before something went wrong So another possibility is tragedy after leaving an accident exposure crime But Police stress no evidence of violence or foul play which is why the mystery remains open for adults and kids don't just unless something seriously went sideways. why this case hits different? No kidnapping, no struggle, ⁓ no scene, just six people who left and were never seen again. ⁓ And say someone knows something. And maybe the TikTok lead will finally break the case open. Right, if TikTok solves this before detectives, Gen Z officially runs Investigations. somewhere out there, if they're still alive, six people are living completely different lives than the ⁓ they left behind. Definitely. To me, I still feel like if they were out there, that's what makes me concerned is one those six, especially with the main guy going to jail, why wouldn't we hear from them? Yeah, and if they were seen outside praying every day to the Sun God and all of sudden they're not there. People are going to notice. if you are God person you think you'd want to spread the word so somebody out there somewhere... going underground didn't help. your cosmic intentions. the story of the six missing from Missouri still unsolved nearly three years. I was gonna do two, three years. And that recent lead pans out, answers may finally come. But for now, it remains one of the strangest modern disappearances in America. And this girl's mom, one of the girls moms, she's speaking out about it. And she's like, this is ridiculous. like something really is wrong like they didn't just disappear yeah yeah so hey if someone starts talking cosmic consciousness for the Wi-Fi password first that tells you everything yeah and you looked it up and you found some information ⁓ did I looked up his name and date of birth and I did find the records that coincided with him getting in trouble for the kids stuff ⁓ He had a huge record in the past as well with domestic violence strangulation kinds of things but he's also had numbers associated with him ⁓ while he's in prison ⁓ maybe he's getting a phone to communicate I hear that happens And he a house. ⁓ Yeah, there's a record of a house purchase between him and another name ⁓ Can't her name now But it's almost like Michaela. It sounds like one of the girls that went missing. So we need to... This all just came about after we had already planned this script, so maybe we should do a follow-up. And if you guys know of this case or anything, we'd love to hear what you know or have to say. Definitely. I mean, it's not every day six people go missing and are never seen from their homes. So weird to me, especially at those ages. Now, if it was two, a mom and dad and kids... I think that would be a little different, but these aren't even all blood related and there's somebody one of those six you just think. Yeah. And the picture you saw online looked very similar to one of the girls. Yes. was very similar. And I wonder if that was the TikTok photo that they saw that they think. It could be. I'm going to have to dig into a bigger hole later today. So find that rabbit hole and have fun. ⁓ yes. There we go.