Officials said as the second week of efforts to find the missing British actor approaches the end of the day, new searches for Julian Sands at higher altitudes are still not possible due to poor conditions.
An update shared by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday said “numerous” land and air searches had previously been conducted in low-lying areas, but there was no evidence of the actor’s location.
Sands was first reported missing on January 13 in the Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel mountains in southern California.
It came after the ministry announced that a second hiker who went missing in the same area had been found alive.
A spokesperson for the ministry, however, told the PA news agency that Sands has still not been found, although the search for the second hiker on the ground provided an opportunity for secondary scans.
They added that it is still not possible to search for more sites in higher altitude areas due to conditions.
“The Sheriff’s Department is closing the second full week of search for missing hiker Julian Sands,” the online statement said.
“A lot of ground and air search operations have been carried out. As of now, Mr Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been found.
“The search will continue as long as the weather and ground conditions allow,” he said.
“Regardless of the precautions taken by hikers, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department strongly advises hikers to avoid dangerous mountain areas such as Mt Baldy at this time,” the statement said.
This came after Sands’ family lauded the “heroic” efforts of the Californian authorities conducting the search.
In a statement shared by the sheriff’s department, his family said they were “deeply impressed” by the support they have received in the days since his disappearance.
“A heartfelt thank you to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who coordinated the search for our beloved Julian, and particularly to the hero search teams listed below who braved the harsh conditions on land and in the air to bring Julian home.
“We were deeply touched by the overflow of love and support.”
The statement listed the various organizations involved in the search, including local and non-county forces, as well as specialist dog and cave crews.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told the PA news agency that conditions are still too dangerous for ground crews and searches will only be conducted by helicopter.
They said infrared devices were used, but there was no sign of Sands.
Federal agencies are part of an effort to locate Sands, using cell phone forensics to help pinpoint the actor’s location.
It had previously emerged that pings from Sands’ phone showed he was on the move towards the mountainous area of Baldy Bowl on the day he was reported missing.
Sands was born in Yorkshire and moved to Los Angeles in 2020.
His debut role was as the free-spirited George in the period drama A Room With A View, opposite Helena Bonham Carter.
He later switched to the horror genre, starring in movies like Warlock and Arachnophobia, and in dramatic episodes on television.
More recently, he played the chief medical officer in the 2021 Jack Lowden and Peter Capaldi-led drama Benediction.
From 1984 to 1987 Sands was married to future editor of the Evening Standard and Today, Sarah Sands, and they had a son. He also has two daughters with journalist Evgenia Citkowitz, whom he married in 1990.