It’s been more than a week since a Broadway dancer who delighted crowds while performing in Tony Award-winning shows such as “Hamilton” went missing, and his family pleaded Sunday for any information that could lead to his safe return.
Zelig Williams, 28, was staying with his mother in his hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, since the summer and had been hosting specialized dance workshops. Kathy Williams last saw her son on the morning of Oct. 3 and everything seemed normal when he left, her cousin Mieoki Corbett Jacobs told NBC News.
Later that day, one of her son’s friends living in New York City reached out to say they received an SOS alert on their phone on Oct. 3 indicating the dancer had been in a car crash.
Police found his car overnight in the early hours of Oct. 5 parked in a lot for the Palmetto Trail, near Wateree, South Carolina, with no signs of a crash, Corbett Jacobs said.
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Zelig Williams’ family, friends and community are holding on to faith that God is with him, she added.
“It is very, very difficult,” Corbett Jacobs said. “It is a struggle, but they are holding close to the belief that Zelig will return home.”
His mother asked anyone with information to reach out to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. She also warned that her son requires medication and could be in a very vulnerable state when he is found.
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“And please keep sharing on social media ... and don’t just like it,” Kathy Williams said. “Share it far and wide, share it with all the people that they know, because it will spread even more.”
The Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the Columbia Police Department did not immediately respond to request for comments.
The 28-year-old has starred in a two critically acclaimed musicals, including “MJ: The Musical,” and traveled with Hugh Jackman on the actor’s tour, “The Man. The Music. The Show.” Jackman posted about Zelig Williams to his Instagram stories over the weekend.
“Please ... if anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of ZELIG WILLIAMS, please reach out to your local authorities,” Jackman wrote over a photo of the dancer. “ZELIG, we love you and are praying for your safe return.”
Caroline Lewis Jones met Zelig Williams when he was just 11 years old. She was one of his first dance teachers and has worked with him as part of her nonprofit dance company in recent years. He was one of the reasons she fell in love with teaching, Jones said.
Of the thousands of students she has taught over the years, Jones said, Williams was one of the most special dancers she’s worked with.
“Zelig, when he walks into a room, you just want to be with him. ... He makes you want to be better,” Jones said.
She described him as kind, compassionate and vibrant. As a dancer, Jones said, he was hardworking and determined.
He’s the type of person to care about everyone who was in a space with him, Jones said, and when you dance with Williams you are inspired to push yourself to be better.
Two of Williams’ sisters died in a car crash years ago, a tragedy that was part of his drive to dance and create choreography, she added.
“Dance was his voice, for sure, and how he expressed himself best,” Jones said.
Jones was with him while he hosted some of his recent workshops, saying he really wanted to help share the ins and outs of Broadway auditioning with students. One of the first times she saw him teach kids for her company, Jones said she began to cry just seeing the “light in his eyes.”
“He was born, not only born to perform, but he’s definitely born to teach,” Jones said.
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