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Human remains have been found in the California wilderness where British actor Julian Sands went missing more than five months ago, authorities said.
Emergency response teams were responding to a call from hikers who found remains Saturday morning while hiking through the Mount Baldy area in the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. The mountain is about 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles. The remains were taken to a coroner’s office and should be identified in the coming days, the statement said.
Sands, known for his roles in films such as “A Room With a View,” was reported missing on January 13 after a hike in the Mount Baldy area, prompting an extensive search. Bad weather and the risk of avalanches made it difficult to find the 65-year-old early on. When conditions became too difficult for a ground search, rescuers used helicopters and drones.
Earlier this week, before the remains were reported, Sands’ family made their first statement since his disappearance, thanking the search teams and coordinators who “worked tirelessly to find Julian,” the Associated Press reported.
“We continue to carry Julian in our hearts and fondly remember him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of nature and the arts, and an original and collaborative artist,” the family said.
Since January, authorities have conducted eight searches for Sands and volunteers have spent more than 500 hours searching for him, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said earlier this month. Sands is married with three children, the AP reported.
British actor Julian Sands has been identified as a missing hiker in California
On June 17, more than 80 volunteers conducted a search for Sands, which again was unsuccessful, the sheriff’s department said.
But even in warmer weather, large parts of Mount Baldy remained “inaccessible due to the extreme alpine conditions,” it said. “Several areas include steep terrain and canyons that still have more than 10 feet of ice and snow.” Mount Baldy has a maximum elevation of 10,000 feet.
After Sands’ disappearance, authorities warned people not to climb Mount Baldy due to “adverse and extremely dangerous” conditions in the area, including high winds, snow and ice.
At least two hikers died in falls in or around Mount Baldy in the four weeks leading up to Jan. 18, the sheriff’s department said.
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