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As the search on Mt Baldy for actor Julian Sands entered its 12th day, rescuers began to scale back their efforts, authorities said.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, which is conducting the search, said Wednesday It continues to search for the missing actor using only airborne units such as sheriff’s helicopters and drones.
Since Sands was reported missing on Jan. 13, the department had searched the Mt. Baldy area with both air and ground crews, although some ground missions were at times canceled due to avalanche risks and dangerous trail conditions.
The department said flight crews use RECCO devices, a rescue technology that uses harmonic radar systems to detect clothing equipped with RECCO reflectors. The device is often used to find people buried by an avalanche or lost hikers.
No clues to Sands’ whereabouts were found during the search.
On Tuesday, rescuers found another hiker, 75-year-old Jin Chung of Los Angeles, who went missing on Mount Baldy on Sunday. He was hospitalized for “weather-related injuries” and a leg injury.
Around the time Sands was reported missing, a recent storm surge had blanketed Mt. Baldy with snow. The freezing conditions prompted officials to warn hikers of all experience levels. The summit is considered one of the most dangerous in the United States.
Sands, 65, is known for his work in A Room With a View (1985), Warlock (1989) and dozens of other films and TV series, including 24 and Dexter. Born in the UK, based in North Hollywood, Sands is a keen mountaineer having scaled peaks in the Andes and Swiss Alps.
Amid a litany of hopeful news for the missing Hollywood character actor, the Sands family issued a statement Monday thanking the sheriff’s department and emergency responders for “braving up to the conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home”.
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support,” the statement said.
Sands’ brother told BBC News this week that he has already said goodbye to Julian.
“I’ve come to terms with the fact that he’s gone and that’s how I dealt with it,” Nick Sands said in the BBC report published on Wednesday. “We all still hope, I think, but I know he’s gone on my mind and that’s why I’ve already said goodbye.”
