Remains found last week in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles have been confirmed to belong to actor Julian Sands, who has been missing since hiking in the Mt. Baldy desert in January, authorities said Tuesday.
Sands was reported missing from the Baldy Bowl area of Mt. Baldy, about 45 miles from downtown Los Angeles, on January 13, the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said.
Sheriff officials said he was hiking in the Angeles National Forest, left wet and icy after a series of Pacific storms produced several inches of snow, damaged mountain roads with overflowing and muddy streams, and inspired trail closures. for off-road vehicles.
On Saturday, people hiking in the Mt. Baldy desert discovered human remains and reported them to the Fontana sheriff’s station, San Bernardino officials said.
The remains were taken to the coroner’s office for identification.
Parts of the mountain were still inaccessible in June, with some areas including steep terrain and ravines still buried under 10 or more feet of ice and snow, the sheriff’s department said.
The department said on June 19 that teams continued the search for Sands on June 17 and said efforts to find him would continue «in a limited capacity.»
Since he was first reported missing in January, there have been eight ground and air searches for Sands, with volunteers working more than 500 hours to find him, the department said. There have also been eight unrelated search and rescue operations in the Mt. Baldy area.
Mt. Baldy, originally known as Mt. San Antonio, is said to be the highest peak in Los Angeles County, and is on the Los Angeles County border and San Bernardino County. On clear winter days it can be seen from downtown Los Angeles.
Searches of the area indicated that activity on Sands’ cell phone ceased on January 13 and subsequent attempts to contact the device were unsuccessful, the sheriff’s department said.
Sands landed his first notable role in an NBC miniseries, «The Sun Also Rises,» in 1984. He scored his breakout performance in the 1985 film «A Room With a View,» winner of the year for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Academy.
Other notable appearances on the big screen include a role in the Academy Award-winning film «The Killing Fields» as well as «Arachnophobia.» She had roles on the television shows «24» and «Smallville.»
Born in Yorkshire, England, Sands study at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London before moving to Los Angeles. He was known for returning to his homeland occasionally to perform on stage.
In an interview with the UK guardianpublished in 2020, Sands said his closest brush with death was during a climb in the Andes Mountains in the early 1990s, during which other mountaineers died amid bad weather and high altitude.
Asked when he was happiest, the actor said: «Near the top of a mountain on a glorious cold morning.»
Sands was a resident of the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, according to the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department.
He leaves behind his wife and three adult children.
Andres Blankstein contributed.