South-Carolina
Former ‘Hamilton’ Broadway dancer Zelig Williams vanishes in South Carolina park as police find abandoned car
A Broadway dancer — who performed in the hit musical “Hamilton” — has been missing for over a week, with police finding his car abandoned near a 500-mile-long trail in a popular South Carolina National Park.
Zelig Williams, 28, was last seen leaving his mother’s Columbia, SC., home on the morning of Oct. 3 and was reported missing when his family hadn’t heard back from the beloved dancer the next day, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.
Williams was spotted driving around Congaree National Park after being reported missing, prompting authorities to comb the area.
Police said his car was then discovered in a parking lot near an entrance to the Palmetto Trail, a 500-mile hiking trail that runs across the state, near the Congaree National Park on Oct. 4.
It’s unclear exactly where his car was located in the national park.
The Post has contacted the Richland County Sheriff’s Department.
Williams stands at 6 ft. tall, has short black hair, a birthmark on his throat, and skin pigmentation on his legs and hands. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black pants, and brown slides.
The dancer’s aunt, Christine McLaughlin Barber, told WACH on Monday that the family began to fear something was wrong minutes after Williams left his mother’s home over an odd “SOS ping” from his phone.
“Around 9:50 Thursday morning, he left just normally as he would,” Barber told the outlet. “About ten minutes later, we received an SOS ping from his phone from one of his friends in New York, indicating a crash.”
The family did not find any evidence of the crash, she told the outlet.
The 28-year-old’s family is now pleading with the public for any information on his whereabouts.
“Words can’t express what our family is going through right now,” McLaughlin Barber wrote on Facebook on Friday. “Please continue to pray pray pray for Zelig to come home safe. WE LOVE YOU ZELIG.”
Concern for the beloved dancer’s safe return has even been echoed by one of Broadway’s brightest stars.
Actor Hugh Jackman pleaded with the fans on his Instagram to come forward if they have any information on what happened to the dancer.
“Please… if anyone has any information as to the whereabouts of ZELIG WILLIAMS, please reach out to your local authorities,” the two-time Tony-winning performer wrote on his Instagram story along with a photo of Williams.
“ZELIG we love you and are praying for your safe return.”
Williams had recently moved back to South Carolina from New York City after pursuing his dream of being on Broadway.
Williams starred in Broadway’s “MJ Musical” from Feb. 2022 to Dec. 2023 and performed in the hit musical “Hamilton” from 2016 to 2017, according to his Playbill profile.
Williams’ performing career began in fourth grade in a school production of “The Wizard of Oz,” Dramatics, a publication of the International Thespian Society, an honor society for high school and middle school theatre students, reported.
“He went on to Broadway to perform in some very large shows and recently moved back home to share his experiences and help others,” another of William’s aunts, Mieoki Corbett-Jacobs, told WACH.
South-Carolina
South Carolina man faces first-degree murder trial in deadly 2022 Fayetteville robbery
A South Carolina man will face a Cumberland County jury in November for his involvement in a deadly robbery at a Yadkin Road business.
Quinteel Pierre Harley, 37, of Loris, South Carolina, is charged with first-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the death of Eddie Saez Jr., 34, of Fayetteville, who was shot and killed inside his Yadkin Road shop in 2022.
Harley’s trial is set for Nov. 14 in Cumberland County Superior Court. Assistant District Attorney Rob Thompson said it is the only murder trial scheduled for November.
Harley’s codefendant, Rasheem Grant, 32, of South Carolina, pleaded guilty March 5 to second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon in the killing. Grant was sentenced to 23 to 28 years, eight months in prison, according to court records.
Shopkeeper killed as he prepared to ring up items
According to search warrants, police responded to reports of a shooting around 3 p.m. Jan. 4, 2022, at Southern Swag City Boutique on Yadkin Road. Saez was found inside the store with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the autopsy report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Shortly before the shooting, surveillance footage at the shop recorded a man exiting an Infiniti SUV, entering the business and browsing as if shopping, according to the warrant.
The warrant states a second man joined him in the store, and the two continued browsing before bringing items to the counter.
As Saez began folding the items, the warrant states, one of the men feigned payin,g and then two intruders pulled out weapons. The record states that the men are seen on surveillance video ordering Saez around the store before shooting him.
The warrant states that after the gunfire, one of the men collects a firearm near Saez’s body, before both left the scene in the Infiniti SUV.
The record says that several anonymous CrimeStopper tips identified Harley as one of the suspects after police released photos to the public in a bid to identify the shooters, according to the warrant.
The record also alleges that latent prints found at the scene matched Grant and that his Grant’s phone records showed he was in contact with Harley and in the area of the clothing store three minutes before the first call to 911 reported the shooting.
Grant was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Columbia, South Carolina, 10 days after the killing.
Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.
Texas A&M football will be on national television in Week 12 as it seeks revenge from a 2024 loss.
The Aggies (9-0, 6-0 SEC) will play South Carolina at 11 a.m. Saturday at Kyle Field on ESPN, A&M athletics announced Friday.
Last season’s meeting did not go as planned for the Aggies, who were 7-1 and ranked No. 10, but were upset 44-20 in Columbia, S.C. Marcel Reed was 18-for-28, totaling 206 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The loss started a 1-4 stretch to end the season.
This year, the Aggies are again in first place when they meet Shane Beamer’s 3-6 Gamecocks. The Aggies’ latest conquest was a 38-17 rout Saturday of the No. 22 Missouri Tigers.
Texas A&M is 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 1998, when the Aggies were members of the Big 12.
PINEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – The Berkeley 250 Francis Marion Commission and the South Carolina State Guard joined other local organizations to honor veterans at the gravesite of General Francis Marion ahead of Veterans Day.
The ceremony brought together veterans, active service members and their families at the Revolutionary War hero’s burial site.
“I served with a lot of good guys who some didn’t return, some did, but they all served with honor,” veteran Ed McCants said.
Maj. Gen. Commander Leon Lott of the South Carolina State Guard said the event highlighted the importance of remembering true heroes.
“Very important that we never forget the real heroes that we’ve got. Not a sports figure, but someone who put a uniform on, a different type of uniform that was willing to sacrifice his life,” Lott said.
The ceremony included military traditions such as the Posting of the Colors and the National Anthem to remember those who served before.
“This is someone who’s a true American patriot and a hero for South Carolina and for the United States, and we’re free today because of someone like General Francis Marion,” Lott said.
McCants emphasized the importance of recognizing those who went beyond their call of duty.
“There are many of those who serve and did more than was asked of them. And I think those people need to be recognized and those people need to be honored,” McCants said.
“If you don’t remember your past, you won’t have a future,” Lott said.
The ceremony also served as a reminder of what it means to be a veteran.
“Somebody who is willing to sacrifice whatever was necessary for the duty he was in charge to perform,” McCants said.
“You never stop serving. Once you put this uniform on, you really never take it off. You always have it on. It may not be visible, but you have it on inside your heart,” Lott said.
And it showed why it’s important to honor what our flag stands for.
“Have a duty and obligation to keep our country free,” McCants said.
The South Carolina State Guard is also assisting food banks across the state in response to the ongoing government shutdown, making sure families don’t go hungry.
Copyright 2025 WCSC. All rights reserved.
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