The search for British actor Julian Sands has resumed five months after he went missing during a hiking trip in California, the San Bernardino Police Department reported Monday (June 19).
Sands, best known for his outstanding film A room with a view (1985), was reported missing in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel Mountains on January 13 of this year.
Efforts to find the 65-year-old slowed around mid-February, after rescue teams were repeatedly hampered by adverse weather conditions.
However, the sheriff’s department said in a new release: “On Saturday, June 17, 2023, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department continued its ongoing search efforts in the wilderness of Mount Baldy in search of missing hiker Julian Sands. Unfortunately, Mr. Sands has not been located.”
It added that more than 80 volunteers, deputies and staff contributed to the research, including support from two helicopters and drone crews.
Despite the warmer climate, “parts of the mountain remain inaccessible due to the harsh alpine conditions,” the statement said.
“The multi-terrain areas include steep valleys, which still have more than 10 feet of ice and snow.”
(Getty Images)
Since Sands’ disappearance, the sheriff’s department has conducted eight searches and spent more than 500 hours of combined search time.
The statement concluded by saying that the Sands missing persons case remains open and that search efforts will continue in a “limited capacity”.
The actor’s family has previously praised the “heroic” efforts of California authorities involved in the searches, and they are “deeply moved” by the support they have received.
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This past February, the sheriff’s department vowed to “lock down” the Sands family.
The Sands has been known as an avid and experienced hiker. said fellow actor Kevin Ryan The Independent that Sands was “the most advanced hiker I know” and would not go for a walk unprepared.
His phone was last issued ringing on January 15, indicating that the device had died shortly thereafter.
Downtown Los Angeles skyline with Baldy Mountains and San Gabriel behind
(GT)
said his brother, Nick Sands Craven Herald In late January: “He is not yet declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he is gone.”
Nick said Julian, who is the middle of five siblings, returned to England three times a year and was due to visit his hometown of Craven on January 30.
He added, “Julian used to like to say ‘I never get a holiday but I take a break once in a while’ — well, now he’s resting somewhere he really approves.”
Anyone with additional information on Sands is asked to contact Detective B Meelker at +1 (909) 356-6710.
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