Continued search for Joel Rosenbaum turns up No New Leads

The search for 65-year-old Joel Rosenbaum of Lawrenceville continues, with Habersham County Sheriff’s Office officials saying no new leads have been uncovered.  Rosenbaum was last seen about 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, passing by the Chevron at the Square on Monroe Street in Clarkesville. That store is a brief walk from the sheriff’s office, where he walked out the front gate of the Habersham County Detention Center property just before 6:30pm that night.  On Tuesday, sheriff’s office personnel were joined by specialty tracking dogs to cover again the last area Rosenbaum was seen and to examine other locations where he might be.  “After a thorough search of the area from the sheriff’s office to the Clarkesville square, down into Pitts Park, and along the river, we are confident he is not in the area that was searched today – and that’s the area surrounding the last place we can confirm he was,” said Sheriff Joey Terrell. “The tracking dogs did not alert and there were no visual clues that he had been in that area.”  Investigators also utilized the specialty tracking team in the Cornelia area and to search around some unoccupied buildings and campsites to ensure Rosenbaum was not there.  Rosenbaum previously served as a well-known bartender at a country club in Johns Creek.  Anyone with information about Joel Rosenbaum’s whereabouts or who has seen him is asked to contact Investigator George Cason at 706-839-0560 or submit an online tip at https://www.habershamsheriff.com/tips. 

Joel Rosenbaum, 65, of Lawrenceville

Last seen on foot in Clarkesville, Georgia, on January 26, 2023

Timeline as of April 4, 2023

  • Jan. 26 – Joel Rosenbaum, 65, of Lawrenceville was released from the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville following his arrest on traffic charges and left on foot with the clothes on his back (grey and red Atlanta Falcons shirt, black pants, and white tennis shoes) and his driver’s license.
  • Feb. 2 – A search party, made up of Rosenbaum’s friends, volunteers, state, and local law enforcement personnel canvassed the Clarkesville area, but turned up no new information and no new leads in the case.
  • Feb. 10 – Habersham County Sheriff’s Office again asked for the public’s help, publicizing a $10,000 reward offered by Rosenbaum’s family for information leading to his whereabouts.
  • Feb. 20 – Friends and family of Rosenbaum concentrated their search efforts in the Clayton, Georgia area after a Rabun County woman reported she thought she had seen him in that area. Habersham County Sheriff’s Office investigators also followed up that lead during that search effort.
  • April 4 – Specialty tracking dogs were brought in to assist Habersham County Sheriff’s Office investigators with the ongoing search effort, but uncovered no evidence that he is still in the area.

What we know:

  • The last known sighting of Mr. Rosenbaum in Habersham County was at a convenience store a couple of minutes’ walk from the Habersham County Detention Center in Clarkesville, where the clerk saw him walking toward the downtown square.
  • Searches in Clarkesville and Tallulah Falls uncovered no new leads.
  • The Atlanta native is 5-foot-6, 150 pounds.
  • Rosenbaum’s family is offering a reward leading to his whereabouts.

“As with every missing person, the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office takes this case very seriously and hopes for successful location of Mr. Rosenbaum. Our hearts go out to his family and friends, who have described him as a friend to all. We are not sure Mr. Rosenbaum is still in the area at this time, as there have been possible sightings in the Rabun County area. Unfortunately, without new information, a sighting, or a tip that provides a possible starting point, we have to rely on the public to report any contact or possible sightings of Mr. Rosenbaum so that we can deploy resources to that area. Today (Tuesday), we brought in a world-renowned canine tracking team with a very successful track record, but found no indication that Mr. Rosenbaum is or has been in the area around where he was last seen.” – Rob Moore, Public Information Officer, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office.  Anyone with information or who has seen Rosenbaum is asked to contact Investigator George Cason at the Habersham County Sheriff’s Office at (706) 839-0560 or submit an online tip at https://www.habershamsheriff.com/tips.