In the latest development in the case of missing actor Julian Sands, hikers have found human remains in Mount Baldy, where Sands first disappeared six months ago.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued a statement Saturday (June 24) morning stating that the remains had been transported to the coroner’s office. They expect to have more information about identification of the remains next week.
The news comes just a week after the Sheriff’s Department announced that it was resuming search efforts in the area to locate the missing actor. According to the release, the recent search included over eighty Search and Rescue volunteers, deputies and staff, as well as two helicopters.
“Despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions,” the June 17 release noted. “Multiple areas include steep terrain and ravines, which still have 10 plus feet of ice and snow.”
The search was ultimately unsuccessful.
Eight searches have been conducted for Sands since he disappeared in January, but dangerous conditions in the area have made search efforts difficult.
Sands, who is best known for his role in the 1985 film A Room With A View, was a frequent hiker and adventurer. When he went missing earlier this year, Mount Baldy was experiencing a period of “extremely dangerous” conditions; the local Sheriff’s Department issued a public advisory warning hikers against visiting the area after being called in for multiple rescue missions.
On Wednesday (June 21), Sands’ family released a statement thanking the local authorities for their continued search and rescue efforts.
“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 statement said.
Sands was first reported missing Jan. 13 by his wife, journalist Evgenia Citkowitz.
The couple has three adult children, one of whom set out with an experienced mountain climber to retrace his father’s steps after he went missing.
