Elijah Randolph, the younger brother of Keyshia Cole, has returned to TikTok and says he is okay after a goodbye video led his family to contact police and San Francisco authorities to open a missing person report.
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The concern started on September 29, when Randolph posted an emotional video across his social media accounts. “I am leaving,” he said. “I gotta go. Elijah is done. Elijah is gone, baby. I was able to live the life of my dreams. I was able to help everybody. If I start crying, I’m sorry. I get emotional about stuff like this. I love each and every one of you.”
His caption read, “This is goodbye forever. I love you, and I hope you understand. Remember you are important, you are loved, you are a voice that deserves to be heard.” He signed off with the date, 09/29/2026.
Followers flooded his comments asking him to respond, and when relatives could not reach him, his brother Sammy said he contacted police and shared Randolph’s home and work addresses with them. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE that Randolph was reported missing on September 30.
Early Friday morning, Randolph posted two new videos on TikTok. In the first, he pushed back on the idea that he was in crisis, saying the internet is the last place he would turn if he were struggling with his mental health. He said the people who are actually in his life knew where he had been, and that his goodbye was about stepping away from social media, not about his life or well-being. He added that he plans to leave the app after he addresses the people who have been speaking ill of his family.
In the second video, Randolph called out a content creator who had publicly speculated about his disappearance.
San Francisco police have not said publicly whether the missing person report has been closed.
Randolph has built a following by sharing his story online. He was adopted as an infant and reconnected as a teenager with his biological mother, the late Frankie Lons, and his sister Keyshia Cole. He has documented his experience with closed adoption, where birth parents and adoptive families typically share no identifying information, in a series of TikTok videos.
Keyshia Cole has not commented publicly on her brother’s videos.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day.
