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
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Your support makes all the difference.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.”
RECAP: Ground search for Julian Sands suspended
The search for missing actor Julian Sands in California’s San Gabriel Mountains is currently only being conducted by the air, police say.
As the effort to find Sands neared its second week, The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said on Wednesday evening that ground searches in higher areas were no longer possible due to poor local weather conditions.
Police shared pictures of the helicopters still being used in the aerial search and said the California Highway Patrol’s Valley Division Air Ops has been brought in to assist.
Searchers are using a RECCO device – a radar system that can detect corresponding RECCO reflectors worn by mountaineers on their clothing and bags, as well as other reflective surfaces such as electronics and even sometimes credit cards.
“We are hopeful our [California Highway Patrol] partners, Officers Hertzell & Calcutt, can pinpoint an area where we can focus our search efforts, and we thank them for their assistance,” the latest police update read, adding that “additional information will be released when it becomes available”.
Sands, 65, was hiking in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Los Angeles, when he went missing on 13 January. He has not been heard from since.
Here’s a bit of a breakdown of Sands’ career and life, for anyone less familiar with his backstory.
An actor of talent and unusual range, Sands has appeared in more than 150 film and TV projects across his career.
Read more:
Julian Sands, the prolific star of Arachnophobia, missing in California
Sands has appeared in more than 150 films and TV series
Federal agencies have joined the search for Sands
A reminder that both national and state officials are now working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office to locate Sands.
“We are working with state and federal agencies that have cell phone forensics to assist us in pinpointing a location, but so far no new info has been developed,” The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office said in a statement shared Friday (20 January).
Read more:
Federal agencies join the search for missing British actor Julian Sands
Both national and state officials are now working with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office, one week after Sands was first reported missing.
Reverand Richard Coles called Sands ‘dazzling’
“I knew #JulianSands a bit back in the 80s when his brother shared a mouse-infested flat with my best friend,” Coles wrote on Twitter.
“He was so dazzling and so delightful and everyone who loves him is beside themselves with worry.”
British film producer Cassian Elewes shared a heartfelt message
Elewes also shared a note about Sands on Twitter.
“I’ve known since Friday that my friend Julian Sands has been missing on mt baldy. I’m devastated. A very close family friend who was an adventurer in everything he did. I’ve said many prayers,” he wrote.
No fixed deadline for end of search, authorities say
US authorities have said that there is still “no hard deadline” for calling off the search for Julian Sands.
San Bernardino County Sheriff’s department said that the incident was still being classified as a search and rescue operation.
“We will schedule another ground search when the weather improves, and it is safe for our ground crews,” a spokesperson from the department said.
Sands’ family have shared a statement thanking authorities for the “heroic” search effort, which is still ongoing.
“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.
Is the climate crisis behind a string of California hiker tragedies?
Josh Marcus writes:
Julian Sands is the latest hiker to go missing. Is climate change to blame?
Extreme winter weather is becoming more common in the Golden State, Josh Marcus reports
The sheriff department’s update about the search
“As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination and selflessness of all of the people who have aided in this search,” the authority said.
“We will continue to utilise the resources available to us.”
Mount Baldy conditions ‘extremely dangerous’ since Sands went missing
The conditions on Mount Baldy, where rescuers are searching for Julian Sands, are “adverse and extremely dangerous” and are not favourable even for highly experienced hikers, police warned this week.
“Due to the high winds, the snow has turned to ice making hiking extremely dangerous,” San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said on Friday.
“Sheriff’s Search and Rescue efforts are often hampered by poor weather along with dangerous avalanche conditions. The recent storms that brought the snow and ice conditions are not favorable for hikers, even those that feel they have a high level of experience.”
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