Missing person experts spoke to Newsweek about the theories surrounding the disappearance of British actor Julian Sands as it moves closer to six months since he vanished in the Southern California wilderness
Sands, 65, an actor best known for films like A Room With A View, The Killing Fields, and Arachnophobia, went missing on January 13. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department stated at the time that Sands was hiking when he disappeared and searches began in Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains, where he was last known to be.
The search was suspended when the area was hit with severe weather conditions, including an increased threat of avalanches. They employed drones to search the area remotely but did not find the actor.
On Monday, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office announced that they had conducted another search for Sands that was unsuccessful two days prior. The search included "over 80 Search and Rescue volunteers, deputies, and staff. Their efforts were supported by two helicopters, and drone crews," according to the sheriff's office.
Charlie Hedges, a retired missing persons detective with 36 years of experience, spoke to Newsweek about the disappearance and said Sands could have died in an accident, been kidnapped, or intentionally planned a disappearance.
"If, as it seems, some sort of accident has befallen him whilst out walking, six months is a very long time to be able to survive without preparation but will again depend on his skills and experience," Hedges said.
"If there is another scenario at play, third party involvement (abduction or kidnap, both of which are very unlikely given the area in which he disappeared) then, longer-term survival is possible if the other person(s) want it to be so.
"If this was a planned disappearance, there is a greater possibility of survival but issues of not being traced come into play. Depending on the circumstances, there could be other possibilities as to what has happened."
Professor Karen Shalev-Greene, the director of the Centre for the Study of Missing Persons, at the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom, told Newsweek that there are several challenges the police face while searching for missing persons after their disappearance.
"Weather conditions may impact search activities for a number of reasons, including the terrain being susceptible to sudden flooding, loss of scent and footprint to assist in tracking, strong winds which may lead to risk of rescuers losing balance, and many other issues," Shalev-Greene said. "If the weather is bad they can't use drones or helicopters, for example, which means they can't cover as much ground as quickly."
Police often consider revisiting areas that have already been searched due to the possibility that clues may have been missed because of initially poor weather conditions, she said. Despite the time passed, police would still be looking for clues such as "clothes, bags or equipment people carried" when the person went missing.
"Ninety-nine percent of people are found within the first 28 days of them going missing [and are found alive], so this is a very rare occurrence," Shalev-Greene said.
"Cases where people went missing in the natural environment pose a particular concern for their safety due to the risks they are exposed to so there is a difference in the expectancy of survival under these circumstances," she said, reflecting on the length of time since Sands' disappearance.
A spokesperson for the private investigation firm, Line of Inquiry (LOI), founded by the private investigator and consultant Gavin Burrows, told Newsweek:
"Regarding the chances of finding a missing person's body after a long period of time, it is important to acknowledge the complexities involved. Factors [like] location of the disappearance, environmental conditions, geographical terrain, and the extent of search efforts can impact the likelihood of recovering a body.
"The difficulties of finding someone's body after an extended period, particularly in the summer, can include increased decomposition rates due to higher temperatures, potential scattering of remains by wildlife or natural elements, and challenges in identifying and accessing remote or hazardous areas."
