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Earlier this month, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) took a missing persons report for 28-year-old Zelig Williams, who requires medication and has been missing since October 3.
Since the report was filed, the search for Williams and communication from the lead agency have left many questions unanswered.
As of publish, Williams’ information has been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), a system used by law enforcement agencies nationwide to share information and alert authorities if the missing person is contacted by law enforcement. However, Williams’s case has not been entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), a national, government database for missing, unidentified, and unclaimed persons. NamUs is a critical tool that could help if Williams is found but cannot be identified.
Additionally, the RCSD did not initiate the Endangered Person Advisory (EPA) protocol, which is designed to rapidly disseminate information to the public about vulnerable missing persons in South Carolina, according to SLED. The protocol, activated by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), is used when a missing person is believed to be suffering from dementia or another cognitive impairment, to protect them from harm, neglect, or exploitation. For the EPA to be issued, local law enforcement must request SLED’s involvement and meet specific criteria.
In an October 14th press conference by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department and the family of Williams, Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs says Zelig is believed to have stopped taking required medication leading up to his disappearance, “That would put him in a situation that he would be very very vulnerable,” she said. “Because he might appear in distress or maybe in a trance-like state, okay? And it makes him very vulnerable.”
Callie Lyons of FITS News uncovered that Williams had recently moved back to the Midlands after achieving his successes on Broadway in shows like Hamilton and MJ The Musical. “Z” was starting a new chapter of his life offering classes to help others achieve their own big dreams and had focused his attention on his podcast, Hu•Man in the Mirror with ZeligWill, platforming his open struggle with mental health and reconciliation of his sexuality and his faith.
There are still unanswered questions about Williams’s movements on the day of his disappearance, though investigators have concentrated their search on the area near Bluff Road and Highway 601, where his car was found the area in which a SOS Crash Detection Alert was pinged from his phone is of little interest.
What We Know So Far:
- October 4, 2024: The RCSD took a missing person report around 2 p.m. A family member reported that Williams had left his home the previous day, October 3, at 9:52 a.m. and had not been seen or heard from since. The family said a friend of Williams received an SOS alert from his phone on October 3, just 18 minutes later at 10:10 a.m. The alert indicated that his phone had been involved in a crash.
- October 3, 2024: Witnesses reported seeing Williams and his vehicle at the Palmetto Trail trailhead, located at the intersection of Bluff Road and Highway 601 in Eastover, South Carolina, that afternoon.
- October 4, 2024: Around 11 p.m., deputies found Williams’s vehicle at the same trailhead. There were no signs of a crash, and his belongings were found inside the vehicle.
- Investigation and Search Efforts: Since October 4, the RCSD has deployed K9 units, aircraft, drones, and multiple search parties. They have also sought help from the Department of Natural Resources and volunteers from Congaree National Park. Investigators have been traveling across South Carolina to follow up on leads. On October 15, RCSD investigators, with K9 units, returned to the Palmetto Trail trailhead to continue the search.
Over the weekend, the family of Williams sat down with CNN’s Victor Blackwell to discuss their plans for expanding their search for the missing man and described the morning he was last seen leaving his home he shared with family.
SCDNR hasn’t yet responded to our questions from yesterday regarding their ongoing assistance in searching for Williams and the territory they are covering while Richland County Sheriff’s Department referred us to their cryptic “Press Box” which hasn’t referenced this case in 5 days, when asked for comment.
Private investigator Chandra Cleveland, of SHE-Private Investigations, was hired by Williams’ family to investigate his disappearance, but RCSD denies working in conjunction with any private investigator and encourages the public to only submit tips to their department or Crimestoppers of the Midlands.
The family spoke to Ashleigh Banfield of News Nation on Monday and Kathy Williams, Zelig’s mother says he woke her around 2am the previous morning to ask if she was okay which she says is a “little bit off.”
How to Help:
Anyone with information about Williams’s disappearance is asked to contact the Richland County Sheriff’s Department at (803) 576-3000 or submit an anonymous tip through CrimeStoppers.
It has now been 18 days since anyone has seen or heard from Zelig Williams. His family is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his safe recovery according to WIS in Columbia.
According to SCDNR, they confirm that their agency provided resources to RCSD during the first days of the search but has not been asked to provide any additional resources since. We also heard from Richland County Sheriff’s Department who says they are working to add Mr. Williams to NamUs and the Midlands Crimestoppers
