Broadway dancer last seen in Columbia park still missing after nearly 3 weeks

Zelig Williams, a 28-year-old Broadway dancer, has been missing since Oct. 3, and his family and friends are still desperately searching for answers.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department said Williams left his home in the 400 block of Longwood Road in Columbia just before 10 a.m. that day. An SOS alert sent to his friends and family shortly after 10 a.m. said he had been in a crash.

Williams and his vehicle were last seen by a witness at the Palmetto Trail Trailhead in Eastover, according to the Sheriff’s Department. His vehicle and belongings were found in the trail’s parking lot Oct. 4.

Despite search efforts that included an aircraft, drone, and K-9s, nearly three weeks later there has been no sign of Williams. 

Posters seeking tips are posted in several well-traveled areas of downtown Columbia.

A week after Williams went missing, his family hired private investigator Chandra Cleveland to help with the search.

“I think they needed some direction and some questions answered to see if everything was going in the right direction,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland said she is investigating all possible avenues, including local houses of worship. Williams visited four in the two months he had been in Columbia.

She is actively trying to get in touch with members of the congregations from the two Baptist churches and two non-denominational churches to learn more about Williams’ headspace before he went missing.

“I want to know from any church, if Z has visited your church, I need to hear from your congregation, someone from there to see what was he seeking, if they saw him there, did he join any groups or anything such as that,” Cleveland said.

Cleveland also said Williams takes mental health medication but did not have it with him when he went missing. She does not believe he is putting himself or others in harm’s way.

“I don’t have anything else saying that he may be harming himself or anybody else,” Cleveland said.

Two weeks after he was reported missing, the Sheriff’s Department held a press conference in which Williams’ friends and family pleaded with those listening to bring him home.

“He truly is the most talented individual I’ve ever met in my entire life,” said Caroline Lewis-Jones, one of Williams’ “dance moms.” “He’s an angel when he sings. He’s my muse. We love him. I call him Zely. I met him when he was 11, and he’s just the epitome of a friend, and a talent and a creative. So please keep sharing,”

A cousin, Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs, said Williams is a key member of the family.

“He was a light to our family,” Corbett-Jacobs said.

Corbett-Jacobs also said her cousin is likely in a vulnerable state due to his lack of medication.

“Right before he went missing, he stopped taking his medicine, is the belief,” Corbett-Jacobs said. “And that would put him in a situation that he would be very, very vulnerable because he might appear to be in distress or maybe even a trance-like state.”

Kathy Williams, Zelig Williams’ mother, was also in attendance at the press conference but didn’t speak.

Williams appeared in several musical productions in New York City, according to media outlets.

Anyone with information about Williams’ whereabouts can submit an anonymous tip through CrimeStoppers or by calling the Sheriff’s Department at (803)-576-3000.