Human remains found in Californian mountains confirmed to be of British actor Julian Sands
27 June 2023, 21:28 | Updated: 28 June 2023, 05:25
Human remains found in the mountains have been identified as those of Julian Sands, who went missing on a hike last January.
The British actor has been confirmed dead after his remains were found on Saturday, as police said the remains had been positively identified as his.
It comes after hikers said they had found remains in the area on Saturday.
Police were contacted by the hikers who found the remains in the Mount Baldy area early on Saturday morning.
A statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said: "The identification process for the body located on Mt Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood.
"The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.
"We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr Sands."
The 65-year-old, who starred in A Room With A View, vanished in the Bawdy Bowl area of the San Gabriel mountains on January 13.
He had not been found despite huge search involving drones and helicopters as his family feared he was dead.
Mr Sands had gone to hike in the area on January 13 but he failed to return.
The search only found his Volvo car covered in snow near Mount Baldy. The effort was hampered by the conditions and had to be postponed in March because of a fear of avalanches.
Recently, his family put out a statement saying there were keeping him "in our hearts with bright memories".
Relatives said on Wednesday: "We are deeply grateful to the search teams and co-ordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian.
"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."
Previously, his brother Nick Sands, told Yorkshire paper the Telegraph & Argus that the Baldy Bowl area of the mountains were "his favourite place" in LA.
