Julian Sands: Helicopters again grounded by high winds in search for missing actor

Fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions

Julian Sands: Who is the Hollywood British actor missing in California?

Authorities in California say the search for Julian Sands will continue by air only.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department released an update on Wednesday evening US time to say helicopters continued to search the San Gabriel Mountains for any sign of the missing British actor.

The California Highway Patrol’s Valley Division Air Ops has been brought in to assist the search using a device that can detect reflective material and in some cases credit cards, the sheriff’s office said. 

Meanwhile, Julian Sands’ brother Nick has said that he knows “in my heart” that his sibling is no longer alive, as the search for the missing British actor approached its second week.

“However sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong,” Nick said in comments to his his local Yorkshire paper, the Craven Herald.

Sands was reported missing on 13 January, sparking a major search and rescue effort led by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office.

On Tuesday, an official statement from the sheriff’s office said that fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions.

Last week, Sands’ family released the last known images of him mountaineering, telling The Independent: “This is how he would love to be seen, doing what he loved best – a heroic mountaineer.”

Key points

• Police say search will continue by air only
• A missing hiker has been located on Mt Baldy
• Julian Sands’ brother says he fears missing actor won’t be found
• Sands’ family issues statement thanking authorities for search effort
• Julian Sands: A timeline of missing actor’s disappearance

[25 January 2023 04:00 · Bevan Hurley]

Julian Sands’ family are ‘frantic with worry’ after the British actor went missing

The search for Julian Sands is now in its 11th day, with his family issuing a statement on Monday thanking authorities for their “heroic” efforts.

“His family are frantic with worry,” a close friend told The Independent.

[25 January 2023 04:30 · Peony Hirwani]

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s update on Julian Sands’ search

The sheriff’s department also announced that they’re closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands.

“Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place,” the new statement reads. “As of this time, Mr Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

“The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.”

[25 January 2023 06:00 · Bevan Hurley]

Julian Sands’ family thanks ‘heroic’ efforts of search and rescue teams

On Monday, the Leaving Las Vegas star’s family thanked authorities for their “heroic” efforts in the search.

“Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home,” the statement read.

[25 January 2023 07:00 · Bevan Hurley]

Julian Sands’ brother says he knows ‘in his heart’ his brother is gone

Julian Sands’ brother has revealed that he “knows in his heart” that his missing sibling is no longer alive.

Nick Sands, from Gargrave, Yorkshire, told the Craven Herald that he had accepted that the prospects of finding the Leaving Las Vegas actor 11 days after he went missing in treacherous conditions in a Californian mountain range alive had all but gone.

“He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone,” Nick Sands told the local news site.

“However, sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong.”

[25 January 2023 07:30 · Peony Hirwani]

High-ground efforts delayed as Julian Sands search nears end of second week

An update shared by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday (24 January) said “numerous” ground and air searches for Julian Sands had previously taken place in lower areas, but no evidence of the actor’s location had been found.

The official statement added that fresh searches on higher ground for Sands are still not possible due to poor conditions.

“The Sheriff’s Department is closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands,” the online statement read.

“Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place. As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.

“The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.”

The statement added: “Regardless of precautions taken by hikers, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department highly recommends hikers avoid hazardous mountainous areas, such as Mt Baldy, at this time.”

[25 January 2023 08:00 · Bevan Hurley]

Is the climate crisis behind a string of California hiker tragedies?

On a clear day, the peak of southern California’s 10,000ft Mount Baldy looms over the Los Angeles skyline.

The mountain is emblematic of a growing threat: the deadly impact of the climate crisis on one of America’s favourite pastimes, the great outdoors.

This month, as climate-amped superstorms battered California, first responders have carried out 14 rescue missions on Mount Baldy’s peak, the highest summit in the San Gabriel mountain range.

Two people have died and a third man, the British actor Julian Sands, is still missing after nearly a week.

The Independent’s Josh Marcus investigates the link between climbing accidents and climate.

[25 January 2023 09:00 · Bevan Hurley]

Watch: Who is the British actor missing in California?

Watch below for a short history of Julian Sands’ biography, career milestones, and the details surrounding his missing person’s case.

[25 January 2023 10:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Julian Sands’ family are ‘frantic with worry’ after the British actor went missing

The search for Julian Sands is now in its 11th day, with his family issuing a statement on Monday thanking authorities for their “heroic” efforts.

“His family are frantic with worry,” a close friend told The Independent.

[25 January 2023 11:00 · Peony Hirwani]

Frank Marshall sends wishes to Julian Sands’s family

“Hope and thoughts going out to the family of my dear friend and wonderful actor, Julian Sands, who is missing on Mt Baldy. Let’s all pray for a miracle,” Frank Marshall wrote on Twitter.

[25 January 2023 12:00 · Peony Hirwani]

At least 19 people killed in California storms

California has been hit by a string of violent winter storms that have brought flooding and major snowfall, prompting power cuts and evacuations and leading to the deaths of at least 19 people.

According to the sheriff’s department, it has launched 14 search and rescue missions in the Mount Baldy area alone over the past month, with two hikers dying on the mountain.

In addition to Julian Sands, rescuers in Los Angeles county are also currently searching the San Gabriel range for missing 61-year-old hiker Robert Gregory.