JACKSON COUNTY, Ga. — Editor's note: The video used is from previous coverage of this topic.
A $100,000 reward is being offered in a 2013 cold case involving a missing person, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office confirmed.
11Alive previously reported that resident Joshua "Josh" Adams hasn't been seen since May 2013. He was 25 at the time. On May 20, 2013, Adams drove to a lake on his family's land in the area -- a place the family has said was an occasional fishing spot.
Capt. Dale Dillow with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office said back in 2019 that, they found his cell phone and wallet with cash in it and that keys were left in a vehicle. Dillow also said a family member found his shoes down next to the lake a couple hundred yards from where the vehicle was found.
In 2019, the reward was $50,000 to find any information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in Adams' disappearance and discovery.
Now, in 2024, the family announced on social media that the reward has been increased to $100,000, stating that anyone who comes forward to provide information does not have to disclose their identity.
"We have not given up and won't ever give up," the post said. "Our lives have been forever changed because Josh is not here.
11Alive previously reported that Adams tended to stay in Jackson County and would work with his father and brother in the family business. But he also struggled with drugs, and by May 2013, he had returned from rehab with a new determination to get his life back on track. Law enforcement has said that it could be possible that people from his past may have involvement in his disappearance.
"(He) may have gotten mixed up with some wrong people who wished harm to him," Capt. Dillow said in 2019.
His sister, Shannon Adams, said in a past interview that family has always been a big part of his life, and his niece had a special place in his heart. He also enjoyed sports, fishing and 4-wheelers.
Anyone with information about this case can call the anonymous tip line at (706) 367-3784.
