After more than five months since he was reported missing, Julian Sands is still missing. In January, the actor had gone for a solo hike in the Mt. Baldy area in Southern California, and when he didn’t return, his family reported him as missing. Cops were able to locate where Sands’ car was parked, but there was no further trace of the Warlock star anywhere to be found. Rough weather and dangerous terrain heavily impacted the search, which was mostly limited to scouring the area from the air in the weeks after Sands vanished.
Last weekend, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office announced that another extensive search operation took place with the hopes of finally finding some new clues as to what happened to Sands. There were 80 volunteers that took part in the search, looking over the area on the ground as well as by air with multiple helicopters. There were even drone crews deployed to get better looks at areas that were too dangerous or otherwise inaccessible to the ground crews. A subsequent update shared on Wednesday notes how nothing new was discovered, the case is still open, suggesting more searches will happen in the future. Authorities also released a statement from Sands’ family addressing the latest search.
“We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian,” the family statement reads. “We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer.”
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s statement adds, “Although missing hiker, Julian Sands, was not located during the recent search mission, the case remains active. We want to thank all the individuals who assisted in the June 17th search and the previous search missions.”
Julian Sands’ Family Hopes to Bring the Actor Home
Some members of Sands’ family have addressed his disappearance in the past. Just under two weeks after he was reported missing, Sands’ brother, Nick Sands said he had accepted by that point that Julian was no longer with us.
“I know in my heart that he has gone,” Nick Sands said, via Craven Herald & Pioneer. “When in L.A., the Mt. Baldy mountain range was his favorite place, he would go there as often as he could, Julian liked to say ‘I have never had a holiday but I do rest occasionally.’ Well, he’s resting now in a place he would truly approve of. It was the hills and mountains where Julian really revived.”
Sands’ son, Henry Sands, also spoke about his gratitude for the continued search efforts in April. With that said, he noted how difficult searching that area can be, staying realistic that the odds aren’t so good that his father will be located.
“I am, of course, realistic about the impact on the search of the weather conditions over the last three months — it’s been a 40-year snowfall record in California,” Sands’ son told The Times. “I am hugely appreciative for all the efforts made so far from the volunteer search and rescue climbers and the San Bernardino County sheriff team to bring my father home.”