Julian Sands’s phone showed movement two days after he went missing in Californian mountains

Phone pings appeared to show British actor Julian Sands was on the move two days after he was reported missing while hiking in Californian mountains, US police have said.

Mr Sands, 65, was reported missing at around 7.30pm last Friday (13 January) after failing to return home from a hike on Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California.

In an update on Thursday, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said: “On 15 January, phone pings showed Sands to be heading to the Mount Baldy area.

“Additional phone pings from the cell provider were attempted but were unsuccessful, due to the lack of cell service and most likely cell phone power failure.

“A delayed ping through Sands’ Apple iPhone operating system, from 14 January, provided a possible location on one of the trails leading to the summit of Mount Baldy.

“This area was checked by ground searchers and by helicopter. Ground and air searchers were unable to locate any evidence in this area that would assist in locating Mr Sands.”

The latest development comes as the sheriff’s department said there is “no hard deadline” for calling off the search one week after Mr Sands was first reported missing.

They said the incident was still being classified as a search and rescue operation despite snow, sleet and fog frustrating operations.

“We will schedule another ground search when the weather improves, and it is safe for our ground crews,” a spokesperson told PA news agency.

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Sands’s car was discovered in a local car park and towed away by his family.

Residents on Mount Baldy said the conditions were “extreme”.

“Even as a resident, we don’t hike this time of year… it’s sketchy, it can be very dangerous,” Stephanie Coyne told PA.

“In prior years, other people have gone missing and (people) get injured every year.”

“People have been found, it can happen. I wouldn’t rule anything out – the whole situation is just unfortunate,” she said.

The sheriff’s department previously urged hikers to “think twice and heed warnings” after the extreme weather conditions, saying its search and rescue teams had responded to 14 calls in the Mount Baldy area in the last four weeks.

Mr Sands, who has lived in Los Angeles since 2020, has starred in Arachnophobia, Leaving Las Vegas and Warlock.