Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images
Julian Sands in Los Angeles in 2020.
CNN –
The search for British actor Julian Sands, who was first reported missing in January after hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles, resumed on Saturday, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department dated Monday emerges.
The press release said officers were “continuing ongoing search efforts in the Mount Baldy wilderness for missing hiker Julian Sands.” Unfortunately, Mr. Sands could not be located.”
Over 80 search and rescue volunteers, deputies and staff participated in the search operations, aided by two helicopters and drone crews, as volunteers searched and conducted air search and assessment operations in “remote areas around Mount Baldy,” according to officials.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced videos of the helicopters and air support involved in the search on their Twitter page.
Officials said Monday that “despite recent warmer weather, parts of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions” and that several search areas include steep terrain covered with “more than 10 feet of ice and snow.”
Severe weather conditions continually presented challenges to the search for Sands.
Gloria Huerta, a department spokeswoman, told CNN in January that the storm and an avalanche threat forced officers to halt their search efforts.
Officials previously said cellphone pings from Jan. 15 led them to believe Sands, a longtime Los Angeles-area resident, went missing near the Mt. Baldy area.
Since then, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has conducted eight ground and air searches specific to Sands, with volunteers expending over 500 hours of search time.
The 65-year-old actor is best known for his work on shows like 24 and the films A Room With a View and Arachnophobia. His other credits include the films The Killing Fields and Leaving Las Vegas, and the TV series Smallville.
Most recently, Sands had a recurring role on the Netflix series What/If.