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

[26 January 2023 10:02 · Louis Chilton]

ICYMI: Earlier this week, Sands’ family shared a public statement, amid the continuing 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,” it read.

“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support.”

[26 January 2023 11:41 · Louis Chilton]

Another message of concern shared on social media.

The “other guy” mentioned refers to 75-year-old hiker Jin Chung, who was found safe on Tuesday having gone missing in the mountains days before.

[26 January 2023 13:09 · Louis Chilton]

Heartbreaking words from Sands’ brother earlier this week, fearing the worst.

“I know in my heart that he has gone.”

[26 January 2023 14:07 · Louis Chilton]

Some background on Sands’ life and career here.

A prolific actor of unusual range, Sands is best known for his roles in films such as A Room with a View, and Arachnophobia.

[26 January 2023 15:01 · Louis Chilton]

One of the most recent updates on the story:

Authorities are deploying technology used to detect electronic devices and credit cards in their search for Sands.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said it was “hopeful” that they would be able to more accurately pinpoint an area on which to focus efforts.

Read more...

[26 January 2023 16:30 · Louis Chilton]

A moving personal story about Sands, shared on social media a few days ago.

“A beautiful soul.”

[26 January 2023 17:34 · Inga Parkel]

Where was Julian Sands when he went missing?

Sands, who went missing on 13 January, and hasn’t been heard from since, was hiking Mount Baldy, the 10,000ft peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California.

The mountain range is around 52 miles inland of North Hollywood, the Los Angeles neighbourhood where the British actor resides.

While much of the state has experienced year-long periods of intense drought, this winter California experienced extreme snow and rain storms, leaving at least 19 people dead across the state.

[26 January 2023 19:00 · Inga Parkel]

How long will the search continue?

With the most recent update from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department announcing search efforts will continue only by air, the question remains: how long will the search continue?

In a new Twitter post, retweeted by the authorities, a local journalist reported that rescue teams have completed over “230 missions in the last several years” in the Mount Baldy mountain range.

All of which, have cost the county more than $1m (£806,000).

At the moment, however, the authorities have not given a deadline and maintain that efforts will “continue”.

[26 January 2023 20:00 · Inga Parkel]

What is Julian Sands best known for?

Sands has had a decades-long acting career, appearing in more than 100 movies and TV shows. Some of his best-known works include The Killing Fields, A Room with a View, Warlock, Arachnophobia, Boxing Helena and Leaving Las Vegas. Most of which are projects from the earlier years of his career.

The British actor’s most recent project includes his role in director Francesco Cinquemani’s film The Ghosts of Monday.

Sands led the 2022 thriller as Bruce, who’s part of a group of US filmmakers that travel to Cyprus to film a documentary about a once popular hotel where more than 100 people mysteriously died.

[26 January 2023 21:00 · Inga Parkel]

How long has British actor Julian Sands been missing?

Sands’ wife, Evgenia Citkowitz, first reported him missing on Friday 13 January. Search and rescue teams were deployed soon after, beginning the search a mile southwest of Mount Balty after cellular pings suggested he was on a known trail.

In the latest update from San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, on Wednesday (25 January), 12 days since Sands went missing, the authorities shared that they are continuing search efforts, only by air. They cited that ground searches in higher areas were no longer possible due to poor local weather conditions.