Search efforts for missing actor Julian Sands resume months after disappearance

Search efforts for Julian Sands resumed on Saturday, months after he went missing in the Southern California mountains, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has said.

More than 80 search and rescue volunteers, deputies and staff had searched for the actor, who was first reported missing in January, but he was not found, the sheriff's office said.

TV and film star Sands, originally from West Yorkshire, is best known for his roles in A Room With A View, Leaving Las Vegas and Warlock, as well as small screen appearances on 24, Smallville, and Banshee.

Search efforts were supported by two helicopters and drone crews as volunteers searched in “remote areas across Mount Baldy and conducted aerial search and assessment efforts,” according to officials.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department shared videos of the helicopters and air support participating in the search on their Twitter page.

Officials said on Monday that “despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions,” and that multiple search areas include steep terrain covered in “10 plus feet of ice and snow.”

Severe weather conditions have presented ongoing challenges in the search for Sands.

Gloria Huerta, a spokesperson with the department, told CNN in January that officials were forced to suspend their search efforts due to severe weather and an avalanche threat.

Officials previously said that mobile phone alerts from January 15 led them to believe Sands, a longtime resident of the Los Angeles area, went missing near the Mount Baldy area.

Since then, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department has conducted eight ground and air searches specific to Sands, with volunteers clocking in over 500 hours of search time.

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