Human Remains Found in Area Actor Went Missing on Hike

UPDATE Jun 26, 2023 12:00 AM CDT

Just days after authorities said the search for actor Julian Sands would continue "in a limited capacity" after eight searches in California's Mount Baldy area turned up short over the five months since he went missing during a hike, human remains have been found in that area. Hikers in the Mount Baldy Wilderness Area reported finding the remains Saturday morning, KTLA reports. Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department responded and transported the remains to the local coroner's office, where identification is pending and is expected next week, NBC 4 reports. "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," the family of the 65-year-old British actor said in a statement last week.

Jun 20, 2023 1:42 PM CDT

British actor Julian Sands has long been presumed dead since vanishing during a hike in Southern California's San Gabriel Mountains in January. Yet five months later, authorities have failed to confirm that. The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department launched an eighth search for the actor on Saturday before reporting that "unfortunately, Mr. Sands was not located," Variety reports. More than 80 deputies and search and rescue volunteers ventured into the wilderness surrounding Mount Baldy, along with two helicopters and drone crews.

"Aviation resources inserted search teams into remote areas" while "drone crews searched areas inaccessible to ground crews," the department noted, per Sky News. Still, some areas remained hidden from view under "10-plus feet of ice and snow." It was the department's eighth ground and air search for Sands, an experienced hiker and mountaineer who was reported missing on Jan. 13, per Variety. Sands' phone last pinged in the area on Jan. 15, per the Guardian. According to Sky News, "authorities have previously used a Recco device, which is able to detect electronics and credit cards, in the hope of establishing a more exact area in which to focus search efforts."

story continues below

"Mr. Sands' missing person case remains active and search efforts will continue in a limited capacity," the department said. In April, Sands' son, Henry, told the UK Times that he was "hugely appreciative for all the efforts made so far from the volunteer search and rescue climbers and the San Bernardino County sheriff team to bring my father home," per People. He added he was "realistic about the impact on the search of the weather conditions over the last three months," noting "it's been a 40-year snowfall record in California." (More Julian Sands stories.)