The search for actor Julian Sands is still ongoing as police say they are yet to find evidence of his whereabouts in an update shared on Tuesday.
Searches for the Room With A View actor are still not possible due to poor conditions, authorities said, as efforts to find the missing British actor approached the end of their second week.
An update shared by San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on Tuesday said “numerous” ground and air searches had previously taken place in lower areas, but no evidence of the actor’s location had been found – after federal agencies joined the hunt.
Julian, 65, was first reported missing on January 13 in the "extremely dangerous" Baldy Bowl area of the San Gabriel mountains in California. His disappearance was revealed to the press five days later as celebrity pals paid tribute.
Later, the actor's abandoned car was discovered in the snow around the mountain range.
Meanwhile search teams found a second lost hiker, who had gone missing in the same area. Jin Chung, 75, was found with some weather-related injuries and an injury to his leg, the department said.
But a spokesperson for the department told the PA news agency that, although the ground searches for the second hiker had provided an opportunity for secondary sweeps Julian, who is married to Evgenia Citkowitz, had not been located.
They added that further ground searches in higher up areas were still not possible due to the weather conditions.
“The Sheriff’s Department is closing in on the second full week of the search for missing hiker, Julian Sands,” the online statement from San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department read.
“Numerous ground and air search efforts have taken place. As of this time, Mr. Sands has not been found and no evidence of his current location has been discovered.
“The search will continue, weather and ground conditions permitting.”
The statement added: “Regardless of precautions taken by hikers, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department highly recommends hikers avoid hazardous mountainous areas, such as Mt Baldy, at this time.”
Earlier this week, the actor's family has praised the “heroic” efforts of Californian authorities in their ongoing search.
In a statement, also shared by the sheriff’s department, his family said they were “deeply touched” by the support they had received in the days since his disappearance.
“Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home,” the statement read.
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support.”
The family went on to list various organisations involved in the search, which included local and out-of-county forces, as well as specialised canine and cave teams.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s department told the PA news agency that conditions were still too dangerous for ground crews to operate, and that searches would be conducted by helicopter only. They had also used infrared devices in their hunt.
Federal agencies are now part of the efforts to find Sands, using mobile phone forensics to help pinpoint the actor’s location.
It was previously revealed that Julian's phone appeared to show he had been on the move heading further into the mountainous area of Baldy Bowl on the day he was reported missing.
