Broadway star Zelig Williams’ case takes unexpected turn as family stresses ‘foul play’ was involved in his disappearance

Zelig Williams‘ family says they believe foul play was involved when the Broadway dancer disappeared in South Carolina last year.

Zelig, 28, vanished after leaving his mother’s home in Columbia with a portfolio that might have included headshots. He had recently returned home to South Carolina from New York, where he danced on Broadway in Hamilton and MJ, among other productions. Zelig’s car was later discovered near Palmetto Trail at Congaree National Park, but his trail has gone cold since then. His family statement came on the three-month anniversary of when he was reported missing.

News that Zelig vanished captured headlines nationwide and led actor Hugh Jackman, who toured with the broadway star in 2019, to post on social media, asking for anyone with information to come forward. “Zelig we love you and are praying for your safe return,” Jackman’s post said.

“We ABSOLUTELY believe that there is foul play related to his disappearance”

Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs, Zelig’s cousin and official spokesperson for his family, shared the recent social media update in the Bring Zelig Home Facebook group. When Zelig disappeared, his family said he may have recently stopped taking his psychiatric medication, and at that time, officials said there were no signs of foul play but that nothing was off the table.

According to Corbett-Jacobs’ update, however, “We do not believe that Zelig is in the water,” presumably in the Congaree National area crisscrossed by many streams and rivers, “and we ABSOLUTELY believe that there is foul play related to his disappearance,” she added. She did not clarify why the family believed that was the case or if South Carolina law enforcement agreed.

Corbett-Jacobs also said, “The search will continue, but not in the areas that we’ve searched before (stay tuned for additional dates and locations in the next week or two).” She later added, “Thank you again for everyone that has helped search, prayer, dm with words of encouragement, and calls…. We appreciate your support on our mission to #bringzelighome.”

The SOS call

The actor’s mother said she received a phone call from one of Zelig’s New York friends the last morning she saw her son, telling her they had received an SOS call from his car, which could indicate there had been a crash. Zelig’s car showed no signs of damage when it was found, and all his belongings were reportedly still inside.

It’s so far unclear why Zelig’s New York friend received the notification and why they knew to call his mother, but an unconfirmed Reddit comment suggests his family’s certainty that foul play was involved could hinge on new information regarding the SOS notification.

Corbett-Jacobs’ update came about a month after the second large-scale Williams’ search in the Congaree area, but the search turned up empty. At that time, Zelig’s mother, Kathy Williams, said, “I feel like my son is still alive because my heavenly father speaks to me, and I just trust God, and I have faith; I believe, and that’s all I need.” His family has asked anyone with any information about Zelig’s whereabouts to contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 576-3000 or Crime Stoppers at crimesc.com.