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It has been nearly three weeks since Broadway dancer Zelig Williams went missing from his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina – yet there has been little new information from authorities about the search for the missing star or the investigation into his disappearance.
On Monday evening (October 21, 2024), Williams’ family announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to his discovery.
Williams, 28, most recently appeared as Marlon Jackson in the original cast of MJ the Musical. Prior to being cast in that production, he performed in Hamilton and toured with Hugh Jackman.
Despite being missing since October 3, 2024, Williams’ name cannot be found on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) database. Also, while tips regarding missing persons can be sent through CrimeStoppers, the website currently does not have such listings for the area where Williams’ disappeared.
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In an email response to FITSNews, a spokesperson for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) said the agency was in the process of adding Williams’ information to both databases.
Richland County sheriff Leon Lott has asked the public to help his investigators locate Williams, yet the department has not released a missing persons poster with details of the case. No new information has been provided this week – and the sheriff’s department is not answering questions about any leads it may be pursuing.
“(RCSD) has released all the information that is currently available,” public information director Allie Salrin-Zammuto 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. As the investigation progresses and we can release further details we will post any updates in the press box.”
The “press box” is a private Facebook group for members of the media – including FITSNews – who have been granted permission to join. There have been no recent updates related to Williams’ case.
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WHERE IS ZELIG?
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From the moment his disappearance was first announced, confusion has abounded regarding Williams’ location. Initial reports suggested he had gone missing in the Congaree National Park – until a park official explained his vehicle was located near but not in the park.
While RCSD deputies are focused on the Palmetto Trailhead parking area at the intersection of 601 and Bluff Road in Eastover, S.C. – where Williams’ car was located just north of the sprawling, 27,000-acre park – a private investigator working for the family has focused her inquiries on a location much closer to Williams’ home.
Shortly after Williams left his mother’s home in Columbia on the morning of October 3, 2024 at approximately 10:00 a.m. EDT, his phone sent an SOS alert to friends in New York City. These friends promptly contacted his mother to inquire about his wellbeing.
RCSD’s last press release – dated October 16, 2024 – explained it this way:
“A family member reported that Mr. Williams had left his home on October 3, 2024, just before 10:00 a.m. and his family had not seen or heard from him since. At that time, Mr. Williams’s family shared that a friend of Mr. Williams had received an SOS alert from Mr. Williams’s phone on October 3, 2024, just after 10:00 a.m. According to the SOS alert, Mr. Williams’s phone had been in a crash.”
Word of Williams’ disappearance was first shared in RCSD’s press box on October 5, 2024 – two days after he went missing (and a day after his family reported him gone).
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Family investigator Chandra Cleveland – a former 20-year law enforcement officer with RCSD – indicated Williams’ phone pinged out the SOS alert from a location in the 1100 block of Old Garners Ferry Road, which she described as a country road. That stretch of road includes several commercial sites and Parkwood Lake Park.
RCSD has yet to confirm the location of the ping – or mention the Old Garners Ferry Road address. FITSNews was informed RCSD is not working with Cleveland despite her claims to the contrary.
While Cleveland examines the Old Garners Ferry Road location, RCSD is clearly focused on the Palmetto Trail.
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“The investigation revealed that Mr. Williams had been at the Palmetto Trail Trailhead (intersection of 601 and Bluff Rd in Eastover, SC),” RCSD’s press release noted. “A witness reportedly saw Mr. Williams and his vehicle at the same location the afternoon of October 3, 2024. Deputies located Mr. Williams’s vehicle on October 4, 2024, around 11:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Palmetto Trail Trailhead. Mr. Williams’s vehicle showed no evidence of a crash and Mr. Williams’s belongings were located in the vehicle.”
Many questions have been asked of RCSD in an attempt to convey helpful information to the public.
Among them…
- Why is Zelig Williams not in NamUS?
- What are the next steps in locating Mr. Williams?
- Are tips coming in?
- What other areas outside of Palmetto Trail have been included in search efforts?
- What agencies have assisted in the search?
The answer to a list of 17 questions submitted to RCSD on October 21 – or 18 days after Williams went missing — was referred back to the press release of October 16.
“Since launching this investigation on October 4, 2024, RCSD has deployed several resources, including K9, aircraft, drone, and multiple search parties,” the release noted. “Additionally, RCSD sought the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources and a group of volunteers through the Congaree National Park. RCSD investigators continue to travel throughout the state of South Carolina to follow up on leads to find Mr. Williams. Yesterday, October 15, 2024, several RCSD investigators were again at the Palmetto Trail Trailhead, with (a) K9, searching for Mr. Williams.”
Despite these efforts, Williams has yet to be found in Congaree National Park, on the Palmetto Trail, at Old Garner’s Ferry Road or any other location. His is one of those rare cases with maximum exposure yet little direction, according to Troy Styles – chief investigative journalist with Blunt Force Media.
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“Typically in a missing persons case, we would expect to see an official ‘missing person’ poster from the leading agency, use of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, and organized search efforts through public engagement,” Styles said. “We’ve seen little activity in the search area over the last several days matched with minimal communication from law enforcement who says they are actively working the case.”
Styles also questions why Williams is not considered an endangered missing person. From the start, family members have expressed their concern over Williams’ need for prescription medication. Listing Williams as endangered triggers a continuous search funded by the state as opposed to a local or department budget. It includes integration with the S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) and enables 911 centers across the state to take tips.
Cleveland said Williams would not be expected to be dangerous, but he would not be alright without his medication. She recommended that anyone who believes they see him, take a picture with their phone and call 911 before engaging him in conversation.
Anyone who has information regarding his disappearance is asked to call RCSD at 803-576-3000 or submit a tip anonymously through CrimeStoppers.
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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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