Actor Julian Sands Confirmed Dead after Remains Were Found — Manner of Death Still in Question

English actor Julian Sands went missing in January 2023, but his family never gave up hope that he would soon be found alive and well. A recent discovery may dash all of their fervent hopes.

Julian Sands rose to fame in the late 1980s and early 1990s and has had many roles in popular movies and TV shows since. His most recent role was in 2021's "Benediction," two years before he went missing.

Sands disappeared in January 2023, and as search and rescue teams continued their search for Sands, his family believed he would be found and returned safely to them soon because he was an avid hiker and knew how to protect himself.

On the morning of June 24, however, a group of hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff's Station after discovering human remains in the Mt. Baldy Wilderness Area. The Sheriff's Department's Emergency Operations Division and Fontana Station deputies responded to the call.

The remains were then transported to the coroner's office, and the coroner worked to find out who they belonged to. The identification has been said to take a week when there will be a press release.

The remains were found near an area where Sands went missing while he was on a hike in January. The search for Sands began again on June 17, five months after he went missing initially.

Mt. Baldy is known to be an area that experiences extreme weather conditions, with heavy snowfall for most of the year. Even in warmer months, the area is filled with ravines and steep slopes that could be treacherous.

How Did Julian Sands Disappear?

Sands, best known for his 1986 role in "Room With A View," disappeared at 65 after going on a lone hike on Mt. Baldy. Before his hike, there had been heavy rainfall in the area of the trail he was on.

While search efforts began almost immediately after the actor had been reported missing, the area had been affected by the conditions caused by the rainfall, and there was a risk of an avalanche.

Although rescue efforts were affected by the harsh conditions in the area at the time, Maria Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, said:

"[W]e continue to search by helicopter and drones when weather permits."

The day Sands disappeared, there was another round of storms set to sweep through the area, causing rescue efforts to be once again compromised. For the safety of rescuers, the efforts were halted for a while.

Before going missing, Sands often talked about his love for hiking, saying he felt happiest when close to a mountain summit on a cold morning. He even aspired to climb a remote mountain peak in the Himalayas.

Talking about another time when he was in grave danger because of a hike, Sands spoke of the early 1990s when a storm broke loose as he and some friends were 20,000 feet above the Andes. He recalled:

"We were all in a very bad way. Some guys close to us perished; we were lucky."

Sands said that while some people assumed those who hiked did it because they wanted to feel good about themselves, it was actually about the loss of self-consciousness and the realization of sacrifice and humility.

Sands' Son Thanked Rescue Efforts

Three months after his father went missing, Sands' son, Henry, spoke out about his disappearance. His father had not been found then due to adverse weather conditions that prevented rescue teams from traversing the trail.

The 37-year-old said he had to be realistic about what may have happened to his father on his hike and what the bad weather meant for rescue teams. He also said:

"There is nothing really further to say at this point other than to reinforce my deepest gratitude for the love and support my family and I have received."

Henry extended his thanks to the volunteers that contributed to the search efforts and looked forward to the resumption of the search efforts when weather conditions improved once again. He expressed gratitude to all those sending his family prayers during the difficult time, too.

The search for Sands resumed five weeks after it was halted due to weather. The initial search led rescuers to find the car that belonged to the actor. His cell phone pinged two days after his disappearance.

Sands' friend and hiking partner Kevin Ryan said that with each passing day, his confidence that Sands would be found wavered, yet he shared:

"He is beyond experienced, and I'm hoping he's tucked away somewhere and can pull through."

Ryan knew something had gone wrong when Sands went missing in the first place. He said hiking was Sands' entire life, and he had a true passion for the sport, which allowed him to know the terrain well.

Since the search resumed weeks after his disappearance, there were various search efforts by volunteers and professionals to try and locate the actor and return him safely to his family, who continued to hope that he might soon be back home with them.

Remains Confirmed To Be Sands'

Days after remains were found and sent for forensic testing, they have been confirmed to be those of Sands'. The San Bernadino County Sherriff's office confirmed the news and shared:

"We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr Sands."

Sands' son admitted that although his father's remains have only been confirmed by forensic testing now, he already said his goodbyes to his father soon after he went missing in treacherous weather conditions.

While the remains have been confirmed to be Sands', the cause of his death remains unknown as forensic tests are ongoing. The coroner has mentioned that further tests are being done to determine Sands' exact cause of death.

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