The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office has announced a cut back in efforts to locate missing actor Julian Sands, more than five months after he disappeared during a hiking trip in California.
In a statement released on Monday, the sheriff’s department stated that the case of Sands, who remains missing, will continue to be open, but search operations will be scaled back and conducted in a “limited capacity.”
Over the weekend, a large-scale search was conducted involving over 80 volunteers, deputies, and personnel, as well as two helicopters and a drone team, but unfortunately, Sands was not found. Although the weather had improved compared to previous search attempts, certain parts of the mountain still pose challenges due to extreme alpine conditions, including steep terrain and ravines with significant amounts of ice and snow.
Sands, a seasoned mountaineer and climber, was reported missing on January 13 after he failed to return from a solo hike in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel mountains. His phone’s last ping was recorded on January 15.
Since then, the sheriff’s department has carried out eight searches and dedicated over 500 hours of combined search time to locate the actor. In February, the department assured Sands’s family that they would do everything possible to provide closure, and the family commended their “heroic” efforts in the search.
Julian Sands, 65, gained recognition in the mid-1980s for his roles in films like “The Killing Fields” and “A Room With a View.” He went on to star in movies such as “Warlock,” “Arachnophobia,” “Boxing Helena,” and “Leaving Las Vegas.” He is a father of three.
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In January, Julian’s brother, Nick Sands, shared with the Craven Herald that while his brother had not been officially declared missing or presumed dead, he had a strong belief that Julian was no longer alive. In February, John Malkovich, Julian’s close friend and frequent collaborator, spoke to media and expressed his suspicion that Julian may have encountered a “catastrophic and immediate error” that was irreversible, given his love for challenging conditions and solitude.
Despite scaling back search operations, the authorities will continue to keep the case open, hoping for any new leads or information that may arise in the future.