When Broadway dancer Zelig Williams dances, he feels his late sisters with him.
The 28-year-old, who has performed in some of Broadway’s biggest shows, including Hamilton and MJ The Musical, tragically lost his siblings in a car accident 20 years ago. Ever since he’s been Kathy Williams’ only living child.
But for nearly four months now, Zelig’s mother and loved ones are once again dealing with heartache as they try to figure out where the dancer could be after he vanished under mysterious circumstances on October 3, 2023.
Zelig was last seen leaving his mother’s Columbia, South Carolina home, portfolio of professional headshots in hand, when he went missing, his cousin Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs told The Independent.
The dancer had been staying with his mother Kathy since the summer and had been hosting specialized dance workshops in the area, his family said.
Corbett-Jacobs, who has taken on the role of family spokesperson, said the day Zelig disappeared started out as any other normal day.
But that all changed when one of Zelig’s friends in New York City received an SOS alert on their phone later that same day alerting them that he had been in a car crash.
Unable to reach Zelig, the family called the authorities who discovered that he had been spotted driving in the area of Congaree National Park, about 17 miles outside of Columbia.
Deputies found his car overnight on October 5 in an isolated parking lot for the Palmetto Trail, near the park, according to the Richland County Sheriff’s Department. But the car was not damaged, there was no evidence of a crash no sign of Zelig.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said at an earlier news conference that investigators have not ruled out foul play. But any evidence has not been shared publicly. The Independent has reached out to the sheriff’s department for any updates.
Despite dozens of searches by the authorities, his loved ones, the local community, and national search organization We Are The Essentials, there has been no trace of Zelig.
The family also shared at the news conference that Zelig may have stopped taking his prescribed mental health medications, which he did not bring with him, adding to concerns for his well-being.
Corbett-Jacobs told The Independent that she wanted to clarify that if Zelig was not taking his medications, and because he did not take them with him when he left, he could be in a vulnerable state to whomever he came in contact with.
Earlier this month, Corbett-Jacobs shared a post on Facebook to mark three months since her cousin went missing, writing that the family “absolutely” believes that “there is foul play related to his disappearance.”
She also promised that searches will continue, but “not in the areas that we’ve searched before,” adding that they do not believe he is in the water, as previously thought.
“We know someone knows something and may be too afraid to come forward, we pray that the Creator will touch their heart and mind and move them to help us,” she wrote.
Caroline Lewis Jones, who described herself as one of Zelig’s “mentors” and “dance moms,” told The Independent that she also thinks somebody knows something and that she “feels strongly that there will be answers soon.”
“We do feel like somebody knows something and just hope that they will dig deep inside themselves and imagine what this would be like to be his mother, his aunt, his family who love him so much and not know where your loved one is,” she said, adding that she hopes someone can “be brave” and “even if anonymously, just speak up. We need that right now.”
Jones, who also lives in Columbia, had not seen Zelig’s family in years, until a search back in October. Now, she’s become part of their family.
“God put us together because he knew we’d make a great team to find Zelig,” she said.
Corbett-Jacobs interjected, adding: “And she has since become family without a doubt.”
The two women, along with Zelig’s mother, his aunt Christineother and other loved ones, say they will do whatever it takes to bring the dancer home.
“He would do it for us,” Jones added.
Corbett-Jacobs said Zelig’s mother and aunt are overcome with grief, particularly after the earlier loss of his sisters.
“That’s why it is so special when you see him perform,” Corbett-Jacobs said of Zelig’s dancing. “He is dancing with his sisters in his heart. He feels them with him.”
Corbett-Jacobs said her cousin’s disappearance “has impacted not just our lives, but the lives of those around us. And those who love us. It’s very difficult.”
“This has been over three months of longing for, searching for, giving everything you have, oh and just forget sleep,” she said.
“There’s not a morning we don’t wake up with something on our mind, and there’s not a night that we don’t go to bed without thinking about him.”
“To talk about someone you love disappearing into thin air is painful. It’s heartbreaking,” she said.
The Broadway community have been doing their part to help find the missing dancer – including actor Hugh Jackman, who worked with Zelig on Jackman’s 2019 tour of “The Man. The Music. The Show.”
Jackman shared an Instagram post urging help from the public: “Zelig we love you and are praying for your safe return.”
Sheriff Leon Lott has said that tips from the community are critical to finding Zelig.
The dancer’s family said they will continue their searches, based on what comes in from the tips and have vowed to never give up.
“We’re not going to stop,” Corbett-Jacobs said. “As a family, we’re going to continue to follow any thoughts, leads, ideas that we might have, to look for anything that might lead us to Zelig. There is no stone that will be left unturned.”
