(LOS ANGELES) — The remains of Julian Sands have been found after the British actor was reported missing in the mountains of Southern California earlier this year, authorities said.
The 65-year-old Los Angeles resident disappeared while hiking Mount Baldy, the highest peak among the San Gabriel Mountains, located outside of Los Angeles. He was reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on the evening of Jan. 13, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
Unidentified human remains discovered by hikers on Saturday near where Sands went missing were positively identified as his, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday.
“The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement.
Ground and air search efforts occurred in the weeks following his disappearance before the search was temporarily suspended due to weather conditions.
Search efforts resumed on June 17, employing volunteers, deputies, helicopters and drone crews, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said.
“Despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions,” the sheriff’s department said in a statement at the time. “Multiple areas include steep terrain and ravines, which still have 10-plus feet of ice and snow.”
Sands’ family released a statement on Jan. 23 amid search efforts, expressing “heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian” and several other “heroic search teams … who are braving difficult conditions on the ground and in the air to bring Julian home.”
“We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support,” the family added.
Sands made dozens of appearances in both television and movies since the 1980s, including as George Emerson — opposite Helena Bonham-Carter’s Lucy — in the 1985 Academy Award-winning film “A Room with a View.” Sands also starred in “Warlock,” “Leaving Las Vegas” and a 1998 adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” as the title character.
ABC News’ Morgan Winsor contributed to this report.
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