The Mysterious Disappearance of Julian Sands

Will Julian Sands become another Unsolved Mystery?

Julian Sands has been missing since January 13, 2023.

Mr. Sands told his wife that on that January morning, he was going for a hike on Mount Baldy in California. It was expected he would return that evening as always. He hasn’t been seen since.

Julian Sands, in case you don’t know, is an acclaimed actor who has been around forever. He’s a bit older than me so I’ve seen a lot of the movies and TV shows he’s been in, whether I remember him as “Julian Sands” or not. (Boxing Helena, Warlock, Arachnophobia, A Room with a View, Leaving Las Vegas to name just a few.) When you peruse the shows and video games (Star Wars!) he’s been in, you’ll realize he was likely there in the backdrop of your own life at least once.

Julian Sands is a father to three children and has a wife.

Mr. Sands once described his happiest moment as “close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.”

When I first heard he was missing, it was a few days after he’d gone for his hike. I happened to see the headline on Twitter, I believe. At first, I wondered where he would have gone, as I’m sure many speculated. Maybe he never went for a hike, perhaps he was just off somewhere with someone and would return soon.

But that thought was pushed from my mind rather quickly as the days dragged on and search parties and publicity increased. I learned more about Mr. Sands, his love of hiking, the treacherous domain of that mountain, and the fact he still hadn’t returned.

Mr. Sands, by all accounts, was a fantastic mountain climber. He’d done many climbs all around the world. He’d hiked Mount Baldy many times in the years since he moved to California. Everyone said he knew his stuff, and that he would have brought the proper equipment. He’d know to turn back if the weather or the terrain was rough. That’s why, especially in the early days, it was a mystery that he hadn’t yet returned.

Having taken a couple of freezing cold winter wilderness survivor field trip classes myself, (we all had to learn these skills in grade school in the seventies in Canada, and I guess that’s why I like watching Naked and Afraid), I knew he could survive out there for a few days or maybe even weeks if he found a cave and could figure out a few strategies.

I speculated that he may have had matches on him or another fire-starting device. He may have had a kit of some kind with one of those tinfoil blankets. He would have had snacks and a water bottle. Maybe he could get water from the snow. There might be some kind of berry he could eat though berries aren’t going to keep a man alive for long.

Mount Baldy is said to be difficult even for advanced hikers and climbers. There are many stories of hikers who were never found or found long after they were lost.  

The wind and weather can rapidly change in the mountains. A gorgeous day can turn deadly within minutes. (Kind of like our thundersnow storm the other night here in Canada) Even the most experienced hikers are often caught off guard. Blinding squalls can rise up and cause disorientation. A slip or fall can be deadly.

Ice can form quickly, and that can be deadly in many ways.

I wondered if he’d stumbled and fallen and rolled down half the mountain and did or didn’t have a broken bone. Maybe he found a cave to shelter from the elements. Maybe an animal got him. Maybe an animal helped him, like in Jungle Book or The Incident at Hawk’s Hill. Maybe he was snuggled up with a wolf pack who brought him meat.

How the imagination roams, doesn’t it?

Mr. Sands went for a one-day hike. His car was found. His cell phone pinged for a day or so but stopped.

A couple of days ago, the area where he was suspected to be missing was roped off for avalanche warnings, and supposedly the searching has been paused.

Now my imagination is working overtime again. Maybe there’s something going on. Maybe one of the searching helicopter teams, drones, or rescue dogs found something, and there needs to be more investigation. Without giving false hope, the searchers are blaming it on the avalanches while they poke around.

I’ve not heard anyone more is poking around. Wishful thinking.

An avalanche would be worse for everyone, of course.

The weather’s been terrible the whole time he’s been missing, which is why he’s not been found, not a trace, not a footprint, not a scrap of clothing. When the weather is clear enough, the teams go out, by air, by foot, and by drone.

Mr. Sands’ disappearance can serve as a reminder for other casual and seasoned hikers to hike with a friend, to have extra communication devices, to tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll return, to bring lots of supplies such as food, water, and a way to keep warm in case of a sudden storm or if you get disoriented and lost. Maybe a flare? I don’t do serious hikes in the mountains, so I am unfamiliar with what equipment would make sense, but for those who do hike, treat every walk, no matter how short you think it will be, seriously.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an ordinary person or a movie star. The elements don’t care.

Sometimes when people go missing in the wilderness, strange things are found.

There have been reports of finding clothes folded and/or in neat piles,  shoes/boots just sitting out as if they were placed there. But the people are never found. A serial killer taunting? Did the person go mad from being lost and strip down for some reason? Was there an alien abduction? A divine invitation?

Will Mr. Sands's belongings be found once spring comes? Will they, too, be organized in some manner? Will they provide clues of his whereabouts?

Will Mr. Sands reappear in the spring, having suffered through the winter with his survival skills, with an amazing story to tell?

Will Mr. Sands ever be found, dead or alive?

With the mystery of Julian Sands, I keep thinking back to the mystery of MH370. I guess the anniversary of that is coming up quickly as well. March 8, 2014. I remember hearing on the news that day that the flight was missing, and immediately felt a punch in my gut. I knew that somehow that flight was going to be different from other flights that crashed or were hijacked.

That day, I had a sense that the flight had been hijacked to an island because there was someone or something important on the plane. At the time, it was said there were several passengers who were coming or going to some technology convention. I’ve always felt there was a tie to that. Someone carrying some kind of information, a laptop, or maybe a new type of tech someone else wanted. Enough to take down an entire plane.

At first, I thought that maybe the hijackers would take the people they wanted, and the others would be let go.

But now I realize I was naive, and they are all dead.

There have been so many theories about that plane and what happened. And theories have twisted so much over the years that we’ll never know.

If it wasn’t a hijacking, I’m inclined to believe it was a pilot murder-suicide as a pilot can learn the routes to stay off the radar. If you go check out some of the conspiracy theories about MH370 you’ll find speculation about the pilot, including alleged affairs. You might think murder-suicide is a possibility too.

The fact that the plane was never found is extraordinary. The fact that there’s no record of it. There have supposedly been pieces of it found. I’m not convinced they are part of MH370. Of course, something can crash into the ocean and be swallowed by a giant sea creature, but wouldn’t radar still track it?

Again, my imagination is a bit much for some.

And how about Amelia Earhart? Another mystery. She may have crashed into the sea. She may have lived out her life on an island. She may have gone into hiding. We’ll never know.

Sometimes there is the simplest explanation (such as Bob Saget bumping his head and dying), and sometimes, you need to think outside the box.

Sometimes you never find the answer at all or experience the resolution you are hoping for. Most of the time, with these mysteries, there is no answer.

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of families who have experienced mysteries with no answers and who will never have closure. The person who experienced the mystery knows what happened, but the rest of the world will often never know for certain.

I know everyone is doing the best they can to find Julian Sands.

Having just lost my father myself, my heart goes out to his kids. It must be difficult to wonder if dad is ever coming home. They must miss him so much and be so worried. If there’s ever a final answer concerning Julian Sands, at this point, it likely won’t be pleasant.

I hope we’ll have some answers, and maybe even good news, in the spring. In the meantime, I wish peace for everyone.