WASHINGTON: Human remains were discovered in the Mount San Antonio area in California, according to local authorities. The location is in close proximity to where British actor Julian Sands went missing five months ago. The San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department reported that civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after coming across the human remains in the wilderness on Saturday morning.
The body has been transported to the coroner’s office for identification, a process expected to be completed next week. Julian Sands, best known for his role in the acclaimed film “A Room with a View” in 1985, disappeared in January while hiking on the 10,000-foot (3,000-meter) Mount San Antonio, also known as Mount Baldy, just outside Los Angeles.
Sands, 65, is an experienced hiker who has expressed his affinity for being close to mountain summits on chilly mornings. During December and January, California experienced severe storms that brought heavy snowfall to mountain ranges, including Mount San Antonio. The peak where Sands vanished is the highest in the San Gabriel Mountains and is a popular destination for residents of Los Angeles.
Authorities have highlighted the treacherous nature of the area, with eight known deaths occurring between 2017 and 2022. Two weeks into the search for Sands, his brother Nick expressed the belief that Julian would not be found alive. “He has not yet been declared missing, presumed dead, but I know in my heart that he has gone,” Nick stated, according to local media in their hometown of Yorkshire, England. The discovery of the human remains has raised questions about whether they could be connected to Julian Sands’ disappearance, adding a sense of tragedy to the ongoing investigation.