Julian Sands: Search on Mt. Baldy continues for missing actor

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - Authorities have resumed a limited search for actor Julian Sands, who went missing during a hike on Mt. Baldy five months ago. 

According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff, Sands, 65, was last seen in January of this year during his hike. His car was recovered days later. 

Following Sands' disappearance, search and rescue crews conducted eight ground and air searches, with volunteer searcher hours exceeding 500 hours, officials said. 

Sands' family has since released a statement thanking search teams for their efforts. 

"We are deeply grateful to the search terms and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian. We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer."

In addition to the rescue for Sands, eight unrelated search and rescue operations have been conducted in the Mt. Baldy area. 

Just days before Sands was reported missing, 75-year-old Jin Chung was rescued after he never returned from a hike days earlier. The missing cases both came after a woman was killed when she slipped down a roughly 500-foot icy hillside.

The treacherous icy hills, hiking expert Cris Hazzard told Fox News Digital, are what usually get hikers into trouble in that part of the Angeles National Forest.

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The "extremely dangerous" conditions that claimed the life of the female hiker and another weeks before her death prompted local authorities to urge hikers, including experienced ones, to avoid the area for the time being.

"Please know the current conditions on Mount Baldy are adverse and extremely dangerous. Due to the high winds, the snow has turned to ice, making hiking extremely dangerous," authorities warned. 

Authorities said Sands' missing person case remains active and search efforts will continue in a limited capacity. 

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. B. Beelker with the Fontana Station at 909-356-6710.

Mount Baldy, in the Angeles National Forest about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, is a magnet for hikers who travel the alpine forests and double switchbacks around its 10,000-foot summit. On a clear day, visitors to the summit can see all the way to Catalina Island and the Pacific Ocean, Hazzard said.

Sands is known for roles in several films, including the 1985 feature "A Room with a View," "Warlock" and "Leaving Las Vegas."

FOX News Digital contributed to this report.