“We’re looking to expand our search” — Missing Broadway dancer Zelig Williams’ mother says they “will not stop looking” until they bring him home
Kathy Williams, the mother of missing Broadway dancer Zelig Williams opened up about her family's search for her missing son. According to a Richland County Sheriff’s Department statement, the dancer was last seen at his Columbia, South Carolina home on Thursday, October 3. The dancer's vehicle was found 20 miles away from his home at a Palmetto Trail parking lot.
In an emotional interview with CNN on Saturday, October 19, the dancer's mother Kathy Williams, and cousin Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs announced that the family had searched the area multiple times on foot and were now looking to expand their search. The family also hired the services of a private investigator. At the end of their CNN interview, Kathy and Corbett-Jacobs shared in a message to Zelig:
"We’ll tell Zelig to hold on, hold on to God, hold on to your faith and find your way home. We will not stop looking for you, until we bring you home."
"He's my last one and I want him home": Zelig Williams' mother Kathy Williams
According to a statement from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, 28-year-old Broadway dancer Zelig Williams was reported missing on October 4. The dancer's family said in a missing person report that it was out of character for him not to have contacted them for an entire day. He was last seen the previous day at his home.
The Broadway dancer's car was found at a parking lot for the Palmetto Trail, 20 miles away from his home, near Congaree National Park. Well over 2 weeks after his disappearance, members of the dancer's family, his mother Kathy Williams, and cousin Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs sat down with an interview with CNN's Victor Blackwell on Saturday, October 19.
Kathy explained that the morning of his disappearance, her son had wished her a good morning and asked her how she'd slept the night before. When she replied that she'd slept "good", Zelig exclaimed that he slept "great". Once Zelig Williams got in his SUV, Kathy inquired about pictures from a photoshoot, Zelig simply mumbled something she did not understand and left in his car.
Kathy agreed that she felt nothing out of the ordinary that morning. When asked if the trail his car was found next to was a place he was known to visit, Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs explained that although the place was unfamiliar, it was still an area where he "might" go walking. Their family loved "a good walking trail".
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said in a press conference on Wednesday that the Sheriff's department had used "every means of manpower and technology that’s available" to find Zelig Williams without any luck. He added:
"We feel confident there are people out in the community who may know something that can help us but just not realizing they have the last key to the puzzle,"
When asked about the additional private investigator hired by the family, Corbett-Jacobs explained that despite no significant developments, they "continue to get leads, and they follow those leads". The family was even recently sent pictures of a person resembling Zelig Williams but it did not turn out to be the dancer. Corbett-Jacobs further informed:
"As a family, we’ve been searching. We’ve searched that area ourselves on foot more than once, and now we’re looking to expand our search,"
The family was going to expand their search out both ways to where the aforementioned trail was. When asked if she believed her son was in danger, Kathy Williams replied in the affirmative. Zelig Williams was Kathy's only child after losing both her daughters in a car accident in 2004. Kathy Williams said:
"He (Zelig Williams) told me when he danced, he feels his sisters with him. And he is a awesome dancer, amazing dancer, and that’s what he loved doing, so that keep(s) him going."
As mentioned earlier, Corbett-Jacobs asked Zeig to hold on to his faith and proclaimed that his family was not going to stop looking for him. Kathy Williams shared:
"Zelig, I love you. I want you back home, safe, sound. I will just love on him more and more and more because he's my last one and I want him home,"
Zelig Williams is known for his performances on musicals like MJ The Musical and Hamilton. The dancer even performed with Wolverine star Hugh Jackman during his 2019 tour The Man. The Music. The Show. Jackman took to his Instagram stories on October 10, asking his fans to contact the authorities if they had any information on Zelig.