UPDATE — Friday, February 6, 2026, 7:00 p.m. EST: Rev. Osagyefo Sekou has provided an update on his son Gabriel. He has been found safe.
In a new post on Instagram, Rev. Sekou posted the original flyer of his missing son with “Found Safe” marked across it. In the caption, he wrote, “He is with me. We are not out of the woods.”
Our prayers are with Rev. Sekou, Gabriel, and the entire Sekou family as they navigate through this emotional and difficult time.
Our previous reporting is below.
The son of musician and author Rev. Osagyefo Sekou is currently missing in St. Louis.
“Our son Gabriel Sekou is missing,” Sekou shared on social media. “He was last seen this morning in St. Louis City downtown. I am [on my] way to St. Louis… Pray for our family.”
Gabriel Sekou is 25-years-old, and his family hasn’t heard from him in 10 days. He was last seen in the St. Louis area near the Greater St. Marks Church. He was last seen wearing red pants and a blue hoodie, and is presumably traveling on foot. If you see him, please call 314-705-0776.
If you happen to see Gabriel, and he does appear to be in the midst of a mental health crisis, there are specialized mental health responders that you can call in Missouri in the event you can’t get in contact with the family. These people are far better suited to address whatever is plaguing Gabriel than the police. Calling a crisis response team in the event you can’t reach the Sekou family is the best way to both keep yourself and Gabriel safe if he’s in the midst of a manic episode.
There’s been an outpouring of support for the Sekou family on social media as they search for Gabriel. The St. Louis-based non-profit group Operation Any Means Necessary has made flyers and is organizing a community search for Gabriel. If you’re in the St. Louis area and you see Gabriel Sekou, please contact the Sekou family so that he can be brought home safely.
Rev. Osagyefo Sekou is a historian and occasional collaborator with NewsOne. As a musician, he’s been showcased on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series. As an author, he’s published Urbansouls: Meditations on Youth, Hip Hop, and Religion and Gods, Gays, and Guns: Essays on Religion and the Future of Democracy. He wrote, produced, and directed the musical documentaries Exiles in the Promised Land and Mississippi: A Love Story. Sekou currently serves as a pastor at Valley and Mountain United Methodist Church in Seattle, Washington.
“Through the Deep Abiding Love Project, he has helped train over thirteen thousand clergy and activists in militant nonviolent civil disobedience throughout the United States,” his bio on Valley and Mountain reads.
Sekou continually uses his knowledge and talents to spotlight injustice and make a positive impact on the world around him. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sekou and his family during this upsetting time. All of us here at NewsOne are praying that Gabriel Sekou is returned home safely.
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