The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) took the stage at CrimeCon 2026 in...
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NCMEC at CrimeCon: Missing children, cult mysteries, AI online dangers
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) took the stage at CrimeCon 2026 in Las Vegas this weekend, amplifying the voices of families still searching for missing children while warning the public about a disturbing new online threat targeting kids.
Thousands of true-crime enthusiasts gathered for the world’s largest crime-focused event — united by a shared desire to seek justice and answers in some of the country’s most perplexing cases.
Among the cases highlighted at CrimeCon were the
disappearances of Malaiyah Wickerson and Ashton Mitchell, two toddlers who vanished after their mothers allegedly became involved with a cult known as the “University of Cosmic Intelligence.” At a session led by our Communications Director Angeline Hartmann, attendees got a closer look at the investigation and the ongoing efforts to locate the children. The panel included Cartisha Morgan, the grandmother of one of the missing toddlers, along with Berkeley (MO) Police Detective Sergeant George Ervin and renowned cult behavior expert, Mike King.
We also shared new age-progressed images showing what Malaiyah and Ashton may look like today at age 5. Investigators have described the case as one of the most troubling and unusual missing persons investigations in recent years.
In another NCMEC session, Michelle DeLaune, our president and CEO, addressed a growing danger facing children online: the rise of “nudify” apps. She warned attendees how these apps use artificial intelligence to create sexually explicit images of real people — often without their knowledge or consent.
Michelle was joined by survivor advocate Francesca Mani and her mother, Dorota Mani, who have become leading voices in the fight for stronger laws to combat this rapidly emerging form of abuse, as well as Special Agent Anne Kempf with the FBI Las Vegas Field Division, who lent her law enforcement expertise investigating online crimes against children to the discussion.
And that’s not all! Callahan Walsh, one of our executive directors and co-host of the TV show, “America’s Most Wanted
,” moderated a panel with podcast host and founder of Tenderfoot TV, Payne Lindsey. The session looked back on the nearly 10 years since his first podcast, “Up and Vanished,” helped solve a cold case in Georgia. This interactive session brought up three special guests to pitch cases that need attention: Paul Holes, who was instrumental in helping solve the Golden State Killer case, Nichole Schmidt, mother of Gabby Petito and co-founder of the Gabby Petitio Foundation and Kevin Balfe, founder and CEO of CrimeCon.
NCMEC also hosted Jack (Paul) Fronczak who is searching for
his missing sister, Jill Rosenthal. Jack joined our CrimeCon booth throughout the weekend, speaking with attendees and helping introduce Jill’s case to a new generation of true-crime advocates and investigators.
Thank you to the thousands of people who joined us for our sessions and visited our booth throughout the weekend. Every conversation, every shared story and every new advocate helps strengthen the movement to protect children. We are especially grateful to the CrimeCon team for providing a platform to spotlight these important issues and for helping connect NCMEC’s mission with an engaged community that truly wants to make a difference.
