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.
West Virginia Mountaineers (5-0) vs. Clemson Tigers (4-1)
Charleston, South Carolina; Friday, 6:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: West Virginia and Clemson square off at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Tigers are 4-1 in non-conference play. Clemson scores 84.6 points and has outscored opponents by 26.0 points per game.
The Mountaineers are 5-0 in non-conference play. West Virginia is 4-0 in games decided by 10 points or more.
Clemson makes 46.0% of its shots from the field this season, which is 8.5 percentage points higher than West Virginia has allowed to its opponents (37.5%). West Virginia averages 14.2 more points per game (72.8) than Clemson gives up (58.6).
TOP PERFORMERS: Carter Welling is shooting 70.0% and averaging 11.4 points for the Tigers. Jake Wahlin is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers.
Honor Huff is scoring 17.2 points per game and averaging 2.0 rebounds for the Mountaineers. Brenen Lorient is averaging 12.8 points.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. – The South Carolina Highway Patrol responded to a fatal crash Saturday afternoon.
Troopers said that the crash was reported to have happened at 3:35 p.m. at the intersection of Augusta Road and Matrix Parkway.
Officials said that four vehicles were involved in the crash. A 2019 Jeep SUV was turning left onto Matrix Parkway from Augusta Road when a 2018 Ford pickup truck traveling south on Augusta Road struck the Jeep.
The two vehicles then collided with a 2018 Mitsubishi SUV and 2005 Honda sedan on Matrix Parkway.
According to troopers, the driver of the Ford was not injured. The drivers of the other three vehicles, along with three passengers in the Mitsubishi, were taken to the hospital.
According to the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a rear-seat passenger in the Jeep was taken to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Emergency Department, where he later died from his injuries.
The corner identified the victim as 7-year-old Caius Zaire Blakley from Woodruff.
Spartanburg County School District Four confirmed Blakley was a student at Woodruff Primary School.
The district released the following statement:
This incident remains under active investigation by the Greenville County Coroner’s Office in collaboration with the South Carolina Highway Patrol.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCIV) — The State Senate Medical Affairs subcommittee continued discussions about Senate Bill 323 – a proposed near-total abortion ban.
The controversial bill creates new definitions for human life, contraception and makes abortion a felony. The bill also removes current exceptions for rape, incest and fatal fetal anomaly written into the state’s six-week ban.
On Tuesday, a motion to send a favorable report on Senate Bill 323 to the full medical affairs committee failed 3-2, with four members abstaining.
READ MORE | “SC looks at most restrictive abortion bill in the US as opponents keep pushing limits.”
The motion came after three hours of discussion of possible amendments to the bill. Some proposals sought to remove criminal and civil protections for pregnant mothers, or return to state law that took precedent before Roe v. Wade became precedent in the 1970s.
Those amendments failed to pass.
The bill’s author, State Sen. Richard Cash, chairman of the Medical Affairs Subcommittee, defended the bill as written – claiming abortion is the number one issue in the state.
“I believe it’s our first duty as elected officials to bring an end to it, to protect innocent human life, life, liberty, property,” Cash said. “The rights are in that order. It is our duty to protect innocent life.”
READ MORE | “Second hearing scheduled regarding SC’s controversial near-total abortion ban bill.”
State Sen. Billy Garrett, one of the bill’s original sponsors, abstained. At one point in the meeting, he said he wants to protect the unborn. However, he was against criminalizing mothers.
“I’m extremely in favor of saving babies’ lives,” Garrett said. “I’ll always be that way. My constituents are that way. They asked me to be that way, and I am, but I have never intended, nor should any of us ever intend to, to punish or be punitive towards our moms.”
Sen. Tom Fernandez and Sen. Cash voted in support of the bill. Sens. Deon Tedder, Ronnie Saab and Brad Hutto voted against it. Sens. Garrett, Matt Leber, Thomas Corbin and Jeff Zell abstained.
“This is an enormous victory for reproductive freedom and for the people of South Carolina,” said Dr. Amalia Luxardo, CEO of the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network (WREN). “This outcome was made possible because thousands of South Carolinians stood up, spoke out, and refused to allow their rights and their futures to be stripped away.”
Movie Review: “Sisu: Road to Revenge” takes a Wrong Turn or Three
Fugees Founder Pras Michél Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison
Video: Dick Cheney Is Honored at Washington National Cathedral
See the Easy Chair Workouts Helped These 4 Women Lose a Combined 362 Lbs Without Joint Pain
Thanksgiving 2025 Hot Takes
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Missouri attorney general takes new legal aim at mail-order abortion pills over safety concerns
US judge orders end to Trump’s deployment of troops in Washington, DC
Analysis: Why Democrats are warning about Trump giving illegal orders | CNN Politics
How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life
Federal judge allows Texas AG to challenge Harris County bail reforms: ‘Unleashing criminals’
-
Vermont1 week agoNorthern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
-
West Virginia1 week ago
Search for coal miner trapped in flooded West Virginia mine continues for third day
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Justice Dept. Says It Will Investigate U.C. Berkeley Protest
-
Culture1 week agoTest Yourself on the Settings Mentioned in These Novels About Road Trips
-
Business1 week agoDeveloper plans to add a hotel and hundreds of residences to L.A. Live
-
World1 week ago
The deadly car explosion in New Delhi is being investigated under an anti-terrorism law
-
Business4 days agoFire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
Southwest1 week agoFury erupts after accused teen sex predator dodges prison; families swarm courthouse demanding judge’s head
