Human Remains Discovered Close to Where Actor Julian Sands Went Missing on Mount Baldy in California
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Sands, 65, was first reported missing on Jan. 13 after going hiking on the deadly Californian mountain
Human remains have been found in the area Julian Sands disappeared on California's Mount Baldy, authorities have confirmed.
"At about 10:00 a.m., civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness," San Fernando Police Department said in a statement released on Saturday. "Fontana Station deputies, along with the Sheriff’s Department’s Emergency Operations Division, responded to the scene."
Although police did not mention Sands by name, the remains were discovered in the same area of the Californian mountain that the Ocean's Thirteen actor was hiking in when he was reported missing in January.
"The decedent was transported to the Coroner’s Office, pending positive identification. Identification should be completed next week," the statement said.
Representatives for Sands did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The discovery comes after the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department shared a statement from the Sands family last week, five months after the 65-year-old A Room with a View actor went missing while hiking Southern California's Mount Baldy in January.
"We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian," they said.
"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."
The sheriff's office added in the tweet, "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 17 search and the previous search missions."
Sands was first reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on Jan. 13, by his wife, Evgenia Citkowitz.
Crews continued their search for the Leaving Las Vegas star over that weekend using helicopters, drones and infrared devices, but were still unable to locate the missing actor, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said.
Officials had also previously attempted to retrace Sands' steps and ping his cell phone in hopes of locating the English star.
In a Twitter post shared by the sheriff's department on Jan. 23, the sheriff's department confirmed that the search for the missing Sands was continuing, and added that the department would "continue to utilize the resources" it has at its disposal.
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Along with the department's update, it shared a statement from the family of Sands who extended their gratitude to the "heroic search teams" who continued to aid in the search for the missing actor.
"We are deeply touched by the outpouring of love and support," the statement read. "Our heartfelt thanks to the compassionate members of the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department who are coordinating the search for our beloved Julian."
RELATED VIDEO: Actor Julian Sands Missing After Going Hiking on Deadly Mount Baldy in California
While the sheriff's department added in an advisory notice that same day that helicopters and drones continued to use infrared devices to search for Sands, there had been no sign of the actor thus far.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff-Coroner Department also announced Jan. 23 that a second hiker in the area — Jin Chung of Los Angeles — had been missing since Sunday. (Chung, 75, was located alive the following day.)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department public information officer Gloria Huerta told PEOPLE on Feb. 10, that they "remain hopeful but know the outcome may not be what we would like."
"Conditions on Mt. Baldy remain a danger and our Aviation Division still patrols the area when they are available. We also plan to search the area by ground in the future," she added. "We are in contact with the family, and although they are grateful for the support they have received, they have no further statement for the public at this time."
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An avid hiker, Sands told The Guardian in 2020 that a "remote peak in the high Himalayas, such as Makalu" topped his bucket list — and that the closest he'd ever come to death was during an excursion in the Andes Mountains in the early 1990s, when he and three others were "caught in an atrocious storm above 20,000 feet."
"We were all in a very bad way. Some guys close to us perished; we were lucky," he added.
Sands also told the outlet that he would like to be remembered "as an interesting, amusing father by my children" — and that the most important life lesson he has learned is "to be nice, and grab [life] with both hands, we know it is short."
The actor's brother Nick Sands said in January that he believed Julian, whom he affectionately calls "Jules," was "gone," telling the Craven Herald & Pioneer on Jan. 24, "He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone."
"However, sibling rivalry being what it is, it would be just like him to walk out of there and prove me wrong," Nick added.
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