“Please take my baby home. » Emotional mother of missing SC Broadway star seeks help

The family of missing Columbia native and Broadway star Zelig Williams has made an emotional appeal for anyone with information on his whereabouts to come forward.

Williams, 28, was reported missing by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department on October 5. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and the Williams family held a news conference Wednesday to implore anyone with information to come forward.

Williams’ mother, Kathy Williams, stood at the podium for 30 seconds, in tears, pleading for someone with information about her son’s disappearance to speak out.

“I love Zelig and I want him to come home,” Kathy Williams said. “He’s all I got, he’s all I got.” Please take my baby home.

She is the mother of three children, including two daughters who died in a car accident in 2004, according to a family member.

“That is why it is extremely difficult for her to be seen or to speak because, as you can understand, she has a severe pain in her heart to miss her son at this time,” said Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs, the cousin of Williams, about Kathy. Williams.

Lott said his department is working around the clock to locate Williams.

“We are confident that there are people in the community who know something that could help us,” Lott said. “I will tell you that we have used every human and technological means available… and we are going to keep looking until we find him.”

Williams, who was last seen Oct. 3, is a 2014 graduate of Dreher High School. He has performed on Broadway and was a cast member of the hit series “Hamilton” in 2016. Williams also appeared in the 2022 Broadway performance of “MJ The Musical” in various roles, and has also traveled in the world of actor Hugh Jackman. toured as a singer/dancer.

“Please…if anyone has any information on the whereabouts of Zelig Williams, please contact your local authorities,” Jackman wrote in an Instagram story Thursday. “Zelig, we love you and pray for your safe return.”

Jackman’s message amplified research and attracted national news attention.

Williams’ dance coach, Carolina Lewis-Jones ⏤ affectionately known as his “dance mom” ⏤ said she had known him since she was 11, adding that the dancer, singer and actor was her “muse”.

“He is truly the most talented individual I have ever met in my entire life,” Lewis-Jones said. “He’s an angel when he sings.”

Williams was last at his home in the 400 block of Longwood Road, Richland County deputies said in a news release. It’s in Columbia, between Bluff and Garners Ferry roads, not far from exit 9 of Interstate 77.

A family member contacted the sheriff’s department on Friday, October 5, saying Williams had not been heard from since the day before.

It’s unclear if Williams was alone when he was last seen, but the vehicle he was driving was found in the Congaree State Park area, the sheriff’s department said. It’s about 12 miles from Williams’ house.

Most concerning is the fact that Williams is dependent on medication.

“Most people know Zelig for being a dancer,” Corbett-Jacobs said. “But he was more than that. He was a light to our family.

Anyone who has seen Williams or has information about him is asked to call 911 or CrimeStoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or submit a tip online.