On January 13, Julian Sands set out on a dangerous hike up Mount Baldy in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California. His family started to grow worried when he failed to return later that day, at which
point his wife contacted authorities and reported him missing. They’ve been searching for him ever since.
Unfortunately, the dangerous trail conditions and potential risk of an avalanche made it extremely difficult to execute a thorough search at the time – keep in mind, this was in the middle of January.
They utilized helicopters, drones, and pings off Sands’ cell phone, but weren’t able to turn anything (or anyone) up.
As the conditions continued to worsen, authorities were forced to suspend their search due to safety concerns.
Efforts to find Sands resumed on June 17, when authorities determined it was safe to continue. Those efforts have continued for the past week and the sheriff’s department has kept everyone updated.
In a news release on Saturday (June 17), the sheriff’s department confirmed more than 80 volunteers, deputies, and staff members were assisted by two helicopters and drones as they continued their search for Julian Sands. It was the eighth search conducted by the department since he was reported missing.
“Despite the recent warmer weather, portions of the mountain remain inaccessible due to extreme alpine conditions. Multiple areas include steep terrain and ravines, which still have 10 plus feet of ice and snow,” they said at the time – sharing several videos on Twitter of the helicopter and ground crews in action.
Now more than six months after his disappearance, authorities finally have something. On Saturday (June 24), two hikers stumbled across human remains while hiking Mount Baldy – the same area Julian Sands went missing. The coroner’s office is now working to identify the remains and determine a cause of death.
“Civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt. Baldy wilderness,” the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department explained in a recent statement. The location of the remains is consistent with the cell phone pings that came from Sands’ iPhone in January.
A Look Back at Julian Sands’ Life and Career
Julian Sands was best known for his acting, but he was so much more than that – he was a devoted husband and father who enjoyed some of life’s greatest challenges, especially if it involved mountain climbing. Unfortunately, it was that same exact passion that ultimately led to his assumed death.
His acting career began in the 1980s with small, supporting roles in whatever he could find, but his big break came in 1990 when he starred as the romantic lead in A Room With a View. Some of his other most popular films include The Killing Fields, Warlock, Arachnophobia, Boxing Helena, and Leaving Las Vegas.
Sands has been married twice in his life. He married his first wife, Sarah Harvey, in 1984 and they had one child together before going their separate ways in 1987. In September 1990, he married his second wife, Evgenia Citkowitz, and they share two daughters together. They’ve been happily married ever since.
Julian Sands’ disappearance came at a time when the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department was dealing with a rise in similar cases in the Mt. Baldy area. In the four weeks prior to Sands’ going missing, the department responded to more than a dozen rescue missions on Mt. Baldy and the surrounding area.
