The reward money for information leading to the whereabouts of a missing Jackson County man was doubled recently, but it has not generated any strong leads, authorities said Tuesday.
The family of 25-year-old Joshua Adams of Nicholson upped the reward to $20,000.
“We have not gotten any new leads since they doubled the reward, but we keep hoping,” Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum said.
“I don’t know what else we can do,” Shannon Adams of Commerce said Tuesday about her missing brother. “We want to do everything we can. We’ll put it in God’s hands.”
Adams was reported missing on May 21, the same day his Chevrolet Malibu was found parked in a field off Brockton Loop Road outside Jefferson. Adams’ wallet, $25 cash and his cellphone were still inside the car, according to a sheriff’s report.
The day before he disappeared, Adams cashed a check for $400, deputies said.
Also, authorities pinged his cellphone that day from where he last sent a text message and found it was from a location on West Broad Street in Athens, according to his sister.
Adams was discharged from a drug rehabilitation facility in Michigan less than two weeks before he disappeared, according to the sheriff’s report.
Adams was discharged from a drug rehabilitation facility in Michigan less than two weeks before he disappeared, according to the sheriff’s report.
“Two people from rehab said Josh was worried about some bad people he owed money to, but Josh never told me anything like that,” Shannon Adams said.
The family also hired a private investigator from Atlanta.
“He went through the money, and he didn’t find anything out,” the sister said about the private detective. “He interviewed a bunch of people and wasn’t able to do anything, so my parents didn’t see any reason to give him any more (money).”
Jackson County deputies have checked leads that took them to Winder, Lavonia and Athens, but none have panned out, said sheriff’s Capt. Rich Lott.
“If we can just catch a break that will put us on the right track,” Lott said. “That’s what we’re waiting on, but we’ll continue to exhaust every lead.”
Early reports show Adams had made some telephone calls in the days prior to his disappearance, including calls on May 20 to a man named Tony and another named Angel. One of Adams’ friends told authorities that on May 19 Adams was with an Athens man known only as Pork Chop.
Anyone with information as to Adams’ whereabouts can call the sheriff’s office at (706) 367-8718 or use the tip line at (706) 367-3784.
Respectfully,
Amy Kinney,
Distribution List Manager
LostNMissing, Inc.
Phone: 603.965.4621
Cell: 603.548.6548
LostNMissing, Inc. is an all volunteer state and federally recognized 501c(3) Non-Profit charitable organization to assist law enforcement and the families of missing. We never charge a fee for our services. All Support Members, Board of Directors, Officers and Owner are Volunteers.
