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Nearly two weeks after he went missing, the family of 28-year-old dance star Zelig Williams is asking the public for help in locating him and bringing him home. Family members’ impassioned plea was made during a press conference at the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) on Wednesday (October 16, 2024).
Williams – who has been in multiple Broadway shows – went missing from his Columbia, South Carolina home on October 3, 2024.
“I want to thank all the media for being here today, because you play a very important part in bringing closure to this family and helping us find Mr. Williams,” Richland County sheriff Leon Lott said. “We need help from everybody involved in this search. We feel confident there’s people out in the community who may know something that could help us and just not realize that they have that last key to the puzzle.”
Family members explained Zelig is the only surviving child of Kathy Williams. His two sisters were killed in a motor vehicle accident in 2004.
“He’s all I got, he’s all I got,” his mother said at Wednesday’s press conference.
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Private investigator Chandra Cleveland is working for the family as they search for Williams. In an interview with reporter Anne Emerson earlier this week, Cleveland shared new information about a mysterious alert that came from Williams’ phone just moments after he went missing.
Less than twenty minutes after Williams left his parents’ home, something happened which caused his phone to send a SOS alert to his emergency contacts. The location of the ping was the 1100 block of Old Garner’s Ferry Road, according to Cleveland.
“There was not a crash when we looked at the car,” Cleveland told Emerson. “His flip-flops were in the car.”
Speculation has swirled that Williams may have been traveling to meet someone with whom he connected online at the time he went missing.
“If he met anyone on the internet, I am going to find out,” Cleveland said.
According to Cleveland, Williams’ cell phone has not been recovered.
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Meanwhile, RCSD investigators appear to have focused their attention on the location where Williams’ car was found – the Palmetto Trailhead parking area at the intersection of 601 and Bluff Road in Eastover, S.C.
“A witness reportedly saw Mr. Williams and his vehicle at the same location on the afternoon of October 3, 2024,” a media release from RCSD explained. “Deputies located (his) vehicle on October 4, 2024 around 11:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Palmetto Trailhead. Mr. Williams’ vehicle showed no evidence of a crash and Mr. Williams’ belongings were located in the vehicle.”
A year ago, Williams was performing on Broadway as an original cast member of MJ the Musical. However, he abruptly quit that show on December 23, 2023 and moved home. He attributed his change in career plans to his religious beliefs.
“I was on MJ the Musical, but I left,” he said on his podcast. “God was like, ‘It’s time to go’ – so I picked up my things, and I moved on.”
Prior to being cast in that production, Williams performed in Hamilton and toured with Hugh Jackman.
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In recent months, Williams left behind the bright lights of the big city and returned to his hometown and began offering dance workshops.
Family members are particularly concerned that Williams does not have access to his prescription medication.
“Everything is concerning because he is without his meds,” Cleveland said. “He is not a danger to anyone else.”
A news release from Cleveland’s private investigation firm referenced Williams as being a “devoted believer in God” who had been “exploring his faith by visiting various churches in the area.”
“If you have seen Zelig at your church or have had any interaction with him recently, the family is asking you to come forward,” Cleveland noted in the release.
FITSNews reached out to RCSD and Cleveland for more information about their respective investigations. We have yet to hear from Cleveland, but will provide any updates if we do. Despite her claims in the Emerson interview, RCSD said its investigators are not working with Cleveland – and will not be providing any additional information about the case at this time.
“The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has released all the information that is currently available,” the agency noted. “We cannot confirm or deny any information that is pertinent to our investigation and or would otherwise hinder our ability to locate Mr. Williams. RCSD is not working with any PI, therefore, any information she released did not come from RCSD.”
Anyone with information about Williams is asked to contact RCSD at 803-576-3000 or contact Crime Stoppers at CrimeSC.com.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Callie Lyons is a journalist, researcher and author. Her 2007 book ‘Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof and Lethal’ was the first to cover forever chemicals and their impact on communities – a story later told in the movie ‘Dark Waters.’ Her investigative work has been featured in media outlets, publications, and documentaries all over the world. Lyons also appears in ‘Citizen Sleuth’ – a 2023 documentary exploring the genre of true crime.
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1 comment
fEaRnEwS lusting for another true crime story to cash in on.