(LOS ANGELES) The body of British actor Julian Sands, missing since January, has been identified, authorities in California announced on Tuesday, after human remains were discovered by hikers on the mountain where he disappeared.
“The identification process for the body found on Mount Baldy on June 24, 2023 has been completed and has positively identified Julian Sands,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“The cause of his death is under further investigation, pending the results of additional analyses,” he said.
Human remains were found Saturday morning in nature by hikers, five months after the disappearance of the actor.
Julian Sands, who rose to fame in 1985 for his role in James Ivory’s film Room with a viewhad disappeared in January on Mount San Antonio, also known as Baldy, culminating at 3000 meters above sea level, the highest peak of the San Gabriel range, near Los Angeles.
The 65-year-old actor was an experienced walker who said he was happiest when he was “near the top of a mountain on a glorious cold morning”.
California had been hit by a series of severe storms in December and January, accompanied by heavy snowfall across mountain ranges, including Mount San Antonio.
The peak where the actor vanished is a popular destination for Los Angeles residents.
The San Bernardino County sheriff said at the time of his disappearance that the climb was increasingly dangerous, with eight known deaths between 2017 and 2022.