Remains found in search for Brit actor Julian Sands after he disappeared hiking
The five-month search for Hollywood star Julian Sands has ended after human remains were discovered close to his last-known location, in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles.
“Civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.
While investigators say positive identification of the remains won’t be completed until next week, they expect to confirm that the remains are those of the British-born star.
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Sands, a keen hiker and climber, was reported missing in late January after he failed to return from a solo hike near California’s Mount Baldy.
(Image: San Bernardino County Sheriff)
Rescuers had isolated pings from his mobile phone to an area centred on the mountain, but poor weather hampered the search.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said that “despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions,” and much of the search areas include steep slopes which are still, even at this time of year, covered in “10 plus feet of ice and snow.”
At its peak, the search involved more than 80 volunteers and two helicopter crews. The actor’s car was found on January 18, and the searches continued the winter despite stormy weather that threatened to trigger avalanches.
(Image: Tytus Zmijewski/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)
As the end of January came and went with no sign of the prolific actor, whose work ranged from the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to the Call of Duty game franchise, his brother Nick said “I have come to terms with the fact he’s gone and for me that’s how I’ve dealt with it.”
Sands appeared in a wide range of film and TV productions, playing Greco Montgomery in the blockbuster Oceans 13, Henrik Vanger in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, and the the titular character in the Warlock horror movie franchise.
Following yesterday’s discovery, Sands’s family released their first statement since his disappearance saying “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”.
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