Actor Julian Sands identified as missing hiker in California

UPDATE 6/27/23 7:12 PM ET.

The San Fernando Sheriff’s Department confirmed on Tuesday, June 27, that Julian Sands is dead after going missing in the Mount Baldy area of ​​California in January.

“The body identification process on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023 and positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood. The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results,” the police said in a statement. “We would like to express our gratitude to all the volunteers who worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands.”

Update 6/26/23-11:48am

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department has revealed that human remains have been found near the actor’s disappearance site Julian Sands. “On Saturday, June 24, 2023, at approximately 10 a.m., civilian walkers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after discovering human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness,” the department wrote. in a statement on Saturday. “Deputies from Fontana Station, along with the Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Operations Division, arrived on the scene.”

While the statement did not name Sands, the update noted that “the decedent was being transported to the coroner’s office, pending positive identification.” The statement continued: “Identification should be completed next week, after which we will update this press release. No further details are available at this time.”

Update 1/24/23 at 10:57 am

The search continues. The family of Julian Sands spoke out as rescue crews continued to search for the missing actor in California.

“Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian, not least the heroic search teams listed below who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to find Julian. home,” the family said in a statement on Monday, Jan. 23, as the search for Sands, 65, entered its 11th day. “We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support.”

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also announced that a third walker, Jin Chung, was reported in the same area – Mt. Baldy – where Sands disappeared. A search for Chung began on Sunday, January 22, alongside the search for Sands.

“As we enter day 11 of the search for Julian Sands on Mt. Baldy, we are reminded of the sheer determination and selflessness of all the people who assisted in this search,” the sheriff’s department tweeted Monday. “We will continue to use the available resources.”

The original story continues below:

Julian Sandsknown for his work in A room with a view And 24was identified as one of two hikers who went missing in southern California on Friday, January 13.

Authorities confirmed on Wednesday, Jan. 18, that the British actor, 65, had gone missing five days earlier after hiking on a trail in Mt. Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains. Gloria Huertaa spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Sands’ wife, Evgenia Citkowitzreported her husband missing on Friday.

Huerta added that rescue crews began searching for Sands that day, but the ground search was suspended on Saturday, Jan. 14, due to weather conditions in the area. Rescuers have continued to search for the Leaving Las Vegas star using helicopters and drones and will resume ground investigations weather permitting.

A second walker Bob Gregorywas reported missing by his family on Monday, January 16. Authorities are looking for him in the Crystal Lake area of ​​the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department issued a “hazardous conditions” warning to hikers on Wednesday, urging visitors to “think twice” before hitting the trails. “In the past four weeks, San Bernardino County search and rescue (SAR) teams have responded to 14 rescue missions on Mt. Baldy and the surrounding area,” reads a statement shared via Facebook. “These rescue missions were for lost, stranded and/or injured hikers. Unfortunately, in the past 4 weeks, two walkers have not survived after falling and injuring themselves. Please know that the current conditions on Mt. Baldy unfavorable and extremely dangerous.

The post included a photo of a sign warning of “extreme alpine conditions” in the Mt. Baldy and Icehouse areas, with a list of recommendations that hikers be prepared for the possibility of staying overnight amid changing weather conditions.

Sands, whose film career began in the 1980s, is known as an avid rock climber. “I love mountaineering. I’ve spent a lot of time over the years in the Alps, a lot of time in the Andes, Alaska and the American mountain ranges,” says the Small town alum told thrive in May 2020. “It is about supplication and sacrifice and humility when you go to these mountains. It is not so much a celebration of yourself as the eradication of your self-consciousness.”

The British native is perhaps best known for his role opposite Helen Bonham Carter in 1985 A room with a view. His other film credits include Gothic, wizard, Arachnophobia, Ocean’s Thirteen And The girl with the dragon tattoo. He has appeared on TV 24, The blacklist, Gotham, Right and more.