Human remains found in Mt. Baldy wilderness amid search for missing actor Julian Sands

Authorities recovered human remains Saturday in the Mt. Baldy wilderness near the search area for actor Julian Sands, who has been missing for more than five months.

Hikers around Mt. Baldy discovered a body around 10 a.m. and notified authorities, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The body was transported from the wilderness to the county coroner's office for formal identification this week, the statement said. No other details were available.

Sands, a British actor who appeared in "Room With a View," "Warlock" and "The Killing Fields," has been missing since Jan. 13.

Last weekend, the Sheriff's Department restarted its search for Sands, with more than 80 volunteers, deputies and other sheriff's staff combing the Mt. Baldy wilderness. Despite using two helicopters and a drone team, the team was not able to locate the 65-year-old.

Sands’ family said earlier this week that they were “very grateful” to all those who had helped to locate him.

“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 said in a statement shared by the Sheriff's Department.

Read more: Julian Sands' loved ones say 'wonderful' actor is 'in our hearts' as search continues

Sands, an avid hiker and mountaineer, told the Guardian in 2020 that he was happiest when “close to a mountain summit on a glorious cold morning.” He also told the publication that his most treacherous experience occurred during a hiking expedition in the Andes above 20,000 feet elevation. Sands said a storm came in, and "some guys close to us perished."

In the months since Sands was reported missing, the Sheriff's Department completed eight aerial and ground searches. But severe storms in the first few months of this year dumped several feet of snow onto Mt. Baldy and hampered the search effort.

Although temperatures have warmed in recent weeks, authorities said this week that "extreme alpine conditions" continued to prevent them from accessing several parts of Mt. Baldy.

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.