Julian Sands Found Dead In California 5 Months After Disappearing On Hike

UPDATE 3:08 P.M. PST 6/27/23: Sad but not unexpected news for all the cinephiles out there. Julian Sands has been declared dead at 65.

The remains found by hikers over the weekend have been “positively identified”, according to an update Tuesday by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. They added:

“The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.”

So sad. Of course he’s been missing so long we had long feared the worst. But to have it confirmed… Our hearts are a little heavier after all.

The star of such disparate fare as A Room With A View and Warlock, Julian was always welcome on our screens, no matter what the role.

R.I.P.

There potentially has been an update on the heartbreaking case of missing actor Julian Sands.

For those who don’t recall, the 65-year-old was first reported missing by his family on January 13 after never returning from a hike on the Baldy Bowl Trail in Mount Baldy, California. Per Deadline, San Bernardino sheriffs said they conducted eight searches and eight other operations to attempt to locate Julian since then. However, their efforts haven’t been successful so far – even with attempting to retrace his steps and ping his cell phone.

The search also was sadly suspended for several months due to the weather conditions this spring. However, it resumed again last Saturday. Officials shared that over 80 search and rescue volunteers, deputies, and staff members joined the search on the mountain last week. Their effort included two helicopters and drone crews too. And now, it appears a discovery has been made amid their search.

The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office announced in a statement released on Saturday that hikers found a body in the Mount Baldy wilderness, writing:

“At about 10:00 a.m., civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness. Fontana Station deputies, along with the Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Operations Division, responded to the scene. The decedent was transported to the Coroner’s Office, pending positive identification. Identification should be completed next week.”

Hikers Discover Human Remains in the Mt. Baldy Wilderness Area https://t.co/bFcFocH8EI

— San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) June 25, 2023

Although law enforcement did not mention Julian by name in the announcement, the human remains were discovered in the same vicinity of the mountain where the missing star had been hiking when he was reported missing five months ago. But we won’t know anything about the body — including whether it’s Julian or not — until next week.

This new development comes after his family released a statement since search efforts picked up again. They said in a message released on Twitter Wednesday by the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office:

“We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian. We continue to hold Julian in our hearts with bright memories of him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of the natural world and the arts, and as an original and collaborative performer.”

Although missing hiker, Julian Sands, was not located during the recent search mission, the case remains active. We want to thank all the individuals who assisted in the June 17th search and the previous search missions. pic.twitter.com/TQqSvA1wAR

— San Bernardino County Sheriff (@sbcountysheriff) June 21, 2023