Police Suspect Foul Play in Broadway Dancer Zelig Williams's Disappearance Amid Search
The Broadway dancer appeared in 'Hamilton' and 'MJ: The Musical' before he went missing in October 2024.
Published Oct. 9 2024, 6:30 p.m. ET
Prayers up! Zelig Williams, a Broadway dancer for Hamilton and other shows, went missing in October 2024. Since then, his family has taken to social media and interviews to spread the word about his disappearance.
Zelig was last seen on Oct. 3 leaving his South Carolina home. Since then, his loved ones haven't heard from him, and authorities are, unfortunately, fearing the worst. So, what happened to the performer? Here's everything we know.
What happened to Zelig Williams?
At 9:45 a.m. on Oct. 3, Zelig left his home and has yet to return. According to KBTX in Texas, a deputy in the Palmetto Trail parking lot found the dancer's car off Bluff Road in Wateree, S.C. on Friday, Oct. 4 by a deputy patrolling the area. The tags matched Zelig's license plate number, signaling that something had gone awry. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told KBTX they believe there was "foul play" involved in his disappearance.
Zelig's family also believes foul play could've led to his disappearance. The family stated they knew something was wrong when they hadn't heard from him that day, something they said wasn't representative of Zelig's character.
"The family said it's not normal for him to not contact, and he does require a type of medication, so it's very important we reach out to the public," Richland County Sheriff's Department's Public Information Officer Jay Weaver told News 19 on Oct. 7.
Zelig's aunt, Christine Barber, told News 19 that the family was informed of his disappearance through an SOS alert on his phone, which was shared by one of his friends. She also said his mother, Kathy Williams, was the last family member to speak to him before he went missing and that he never told her his whereabouts for the day.
"The two of them are like two peas in a pod," Christine Barber explained to I mean he lives with his mother and they spoke right before he left, but he didn't say where he was going, so that's a big shocker to know that he never returned home."
Zelig Williams was planning to give back to his community before he went missing.
Before Zelig's disappearance, the dancer was ready to pour into the people he grew up with in Richland. After he made his Broadway debut in Hamilton in 2016, followed by appearances in MJ: The Musical in 2022 and Hugh Jackman's world tour, he was back home planning to build a Broadway dance school for other aspiring artists. His final post before he went missing expressed his excitement to use his influence and skills in his community.
"We are 10 days away from Broadway Dance Bootcamp!" Zelig wrote on his Facebook account on Sept. 17, 2024. "Tickets are still available! Sign up here before it's too late!"
In addition to the boot camp, Zelig's family members said he often spoke to children in the community and shared everything he learned from being on Broadway. His cousin, Mieoki Corbett Jacobs, recalled the 28-year-old creative being passionate about dance most of his life.
"He was just an amazing young man," Mieoki said of Zelig. "I know he did Southern Strut, I believe from 6th grade on. He was a Dreher High School graduate, shared his knowledge of Broadway with students here. He was looking forward to coming home to share that."
The Richland County Sheriff encourages anyone with information to call the Sheriff's Department at (803) 576-3000 or SC Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIME-SC (888-274-6372). According to Richland police, Zelig has short, black hair, a birthmark on his throat and skin pigmentation on his hands and legs.
