Julian Sands’ Family Speaks Out as Actor Remains Missing

The family of missing 24 actor Julian Sands is speaking out. As the search for Sands on California’s Mount Baldy entered its 11th day, the actor’s family thanked “heroic” search teams in California for their efforts to locate the missing actor in a statement shared by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Monday.

In the statement, Sands’ family offered their “heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian.” The statement continued, “not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home.” Sands’ family went on to list the multiple groups and rescue teams actively searching for Sands, concluding, “We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support.”

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The family’s statement came more than a week after Sands, who starred in 24 and Smallville, was first reported missing by his wife, Eugenia Citkowitz, after he went hiking on the treacherous Southern California mountain on Jan. 13. The actor was last seen in the Baldy Bowl area of Mt. Baldy that same day. It is believed that Sands could be somewhere near the Baldy Bowl Trail, which is a popular hike in the San Gabriel Mountains.

However, the search for the actor has been made more difficult by the rough terrain and weather, which forced ground crews to be pulled from the area Saturday evening “due to trail conditions and the risk of avalanche.” Public information officer Mara Rodriguez told Entertainment Tonight at the time, “we continue to search by helicopter and drones when weather permits,” adding that the search and rescue team would plan another search when the weather improves and it is safe for the sheriff’s department’s crews. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in an advisory notice on Monday that helicopters and drones continued to use infrared devices to search for Sands, but there has been no sign of the actor. When sharing the family’s statement, the department added that it would “continue to utilize the resources” it has at its disposal to find the missing The Killing Fields actor.

The 65-year-old actor, who has starred in more than 150 movies and television shows since the early 1980s, is one of two people currently missing in the area. On Sunday, a secondary search in some of the same areas began 75-year-old Los Angeles resident Jin Chung, who was “was last seen at approximately 6:00 a.m.” Sunday after carpooling to the mountain with two other people. At some point, Chung and the two others separated, and he was reported missing after he failed to return and meet them, the sheriff’s department confirmed, per NBC News. According to ABC 7, officials are also searching for Bob Gregory, of Hawthorne, who has been missing since Jan 16 after he went hiking in the nearby area of Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains.