The group of hikers who found the body of popular British actor Julian Sands on Mt Baldy in Los Angeles in June are speaking out for the first time since the discovery.
The hikers were climbing the steep mountain on June 24, six months after Sands’ disappearance, when they found the actor’s shoes, bones and driver’s license.
“It was surreal,” Wanderer Bill Dwyer told the Los Angeles Times. Dwyer and his crew hiked more than 10 miles the day they found Sands’ remains.
In a June Strava post titled “Discovery and Recovery of Julian Sands,” Dwyer said he jokingly told his daughter they were “searching for Julian Sands.”
Sands, best known for his roles in Oscar-nominated films including 1985’s ‘A Room With a View,’ was reported missing by his family on January 13.
Hikers had been warned in the weeks leading up to the discovery that there could be remains on the trails, and helicopters and search parties had been searching.
Bill Dwyer, one of the hikers who uncovered the remains of Julian Sands in June, described finding the actor’s belongings as “surreal” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Sands, best known for his roles in Oscar-nominated films including 1985’s ‘A Room With a View,’ was reported missing by his family on January 13
Located in the Angeles National Forest, Mt. Baldy is approximately 10,064 feet tall
One of the hikers who spoke out wished to remain anonymous and said they were concerned they might find remains as the ice and snow melted.
“I hope we don’t find a body today,” she described her thoughts before the hike.
The group knew that the last time Sands’ phone rang was from a ridge below the mountaintop and that he could have slipped through the gorge they were hiking through.
After three hours of their nearly eight-hour hike, the group found a boot and then a few yards up the hill another boot.
They later found walking sticks, bones, and then dark winter clothes. In the pocket of his pants was a driver’s license with Sands’ name and picture on it.
Dwyer and other group members avoided speaking to the media, only speaking to the outlet to warn others of the dangers of winter hiking.
It is important to always have full safety equipment with you and not to get too relaxed when hiking, even on well-known trails.
Upon discovering the remains, the group found that one of Sands’ boots had microspikes, which are metal cleats that attach to shoes for hiking.
The spikes are not suitable for hikes where there is a lot of snow and the terrain is slippery and steep.
“I was a little shocked when I saw the microtips,” Dwyer told the outlet. “They were simply the wrong tools for the task at hand.”
Sands was an avid hiker and would send loved ones photos of himself on trails
In a June Strava post titled “Discovery and Recovery of Julian Sands,” Dwyer said he jokingly told his daughter they were “searching for Julian Sands.”
Not found with Sands’ remains was a helmet or an ice ax, which Dwyer said he should have had for the trek he was on. He also wore dark clothes.
The “Naked Launch” actor had his cell phone with him, but there is no cell service in much of the mountain range.
In June, when Dwyer found Sands’ items, he used a Garmin satellite communications device to reach rescue teams. They had eight minutes to reply.
After Sands disappeared, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spent more than $100,000 and 500 hours searching for the actor.
The bad weather made search and rescue operations difficult, as storms and snow made the terrain impassable for even the most experienced hikers.
Since 2020, seven people have been confirmed dead and more than 100 searches for missing hikers have been conducted on Mt Baldy.
The Southern California mountain range is one of the deadliest in the United States.
At the time his remains were discovered, Sands appeared to have been wearing dark hiking attire. Pictured: Sand in a photo from a previous summit
Rescuers from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on a search for Sands
After Sands disappeared, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department spent more than $100,000 and 500 hours searching for the actor. Pictured: rescuers on a search
Sands was last in the Baldy Bowl Trail area when he went missing. If he had fallen off the trail, he could have ended up in either Baldy Bowl or Goode Canyon.
Goode Canyon, where it was eventually found, is more treacherous terrain where it’s unlikely anyone could spot it.
Donna Newlin, a member of the San Bernardino County search and rescue team, said the falling snow and ice could turn the canyon into a “shooting gallery.”
Numerous attempts were made to locate the actor after much of the snow melted, including one just days ahead of Dwyer’s team and several hundred yards away.
“It was just one of those things,” Newlin said. “If they went another 600 feet, they might have found him.”
It remains unclear how exactly Sands died and when.
In late July, Sands’ cause of death was ruled “undetermined” based on the condition of his remains.
The “undetermined” manner of death is common in cases of this type, a spokesman for the sheriff’s department told PEOPLE.