Mom of missing Broadway dancer breaks down in emotional plea for his return: 'He's all I got'
The mother of Zelig Williams, a Broadway dancer who has been missing for nearly two weeks, was overcome with emotion at a news conference Wednesday, collapsing into her relative's arms at the podium as she pleaded with the public to help her find her son.
"He's all I got," Kathy Williams repeated as she wept.
Zelig Williams, 28, who has performed in "Hamilton" and "MJ the Musical," was last seen leaving his mother's South Carolina home on the morning of Oct. 3, according to the Richland County Sheriff's Department.
His friend in New York City said she received an SOS cellphone alert from his phone indicating a car crash that day, according to the family.
Zelig Williams was spotted driving in the area of Congaree National Park, about 17 miles outside of Columbia, and his car was later found in a parking lot near the park with no signs of a crash, the sheriff's office said.
The family believes Zelig Williams stopped taking his medication right before he went missing, his cousin said. That would put him in a vulnerable position, and he may appear to be in distress or in a "trance-like state," she said.
"We need help from everybody," Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott told reporters. "We feel confident there’s people out in the community who may know something that could help us, and just not realize they have the last key to the puzzle."
"We have used every means of manpower and technology that’s available," the sheriff said, adding, "We're going to continue to search until we find him."
Caroline Lewis Jones, who described herself as one of Zelig Williams' "dance moms," said at the news conference, "He truly is the most talented individual I’ve ever met."
"He’s just the epitome of a friend and a talent and a creative," she said, overcome with emotion. "So, please, keep sharing. ... We love you, Z, we see you and we want you home."
Kathy Williams said her son is her only child left. Her two daughters died in a car accident in 2004, the family said.
"He really danced because of them," she told ABC News last week. "He loved dance because he said he feels his sisters near him."
"It’s just me and him. So I want him home," she said.
The sheriff's office urged anyone with information to call them at 803-576-3000 or contact Crime Stoppers at crimesc.com.
