Joel Stanley Rosenbaum, 65, disappeared from Clarkesville, Georgia in the winter of 2023. His last confirmed sighting was near a Chevron on the evening of January 26, 2023, shortly after he was released from the Habersham County Detention Center where he had been held two days on traffic-related charges. He left the jail on foot with only his driver’s license; his phone and wallet remained in his impounded car. Jail staff offered him a phone call and a ride, both of which he declined.

Family members say Rosenbaum was showing signs of dementia and may have been experiencing a mental health crisis when he vanished; they also say he did not drink or use drugs and had no known ties to Habersham County. He was last seen wearing a long-sleeved gray and red Atlanta Falcons shirt, black pants, a black belt, and black and white sneakers. Searches by family, law enforcement, volunteers and specialty tracking dogs in Clarkesville and other reported sighting areas, including Clayton, produced no significant leads. A $10,000 reward was offered, a private investigator was hired, his data was entered into NamUS, and siblings provided DNA samples for comparison.

If anyone saw Joel around Clarkesville or along possible routes toward North Carolina in late January 2023, please come forward with what was seen.