Julian Sands was found in June by a group of hikers who have now spoken out (Picture: AP)
The hiker who found the remains of Julian Sands in a US mountain range has recalled the moment that he discovered the late actor.
Sands, who died aged 65, was best known for his performances in A Room with a View, The Killing Fields, Ocean’s Thirteen, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The Yorkshire actor disappeared in January of this year while hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains, to the north of Los Angeles, and was reported missing.
A police search ensued but severe storms hampered the attempts to find him and it meant that his body wasn’t found until months later, in June of this year.
Now, Bill Dwyer, who was hiking with a group of fellow walkers when he made the discovery, has spoken out about the moment he realised what he’d found.
‘It was surreal,’ Dwyer said of the day when his crew of hikers walked for 10 miles around Mount San Antonio, known locally as Mount Baldy or ‘Old Baldy’.
The official search for the actor proved unsuccessful (Pictures: PA/Getty)
The snows and bad weather in the San Antonio mountains made the search tough (Picture: PA)
The actor is survived by his wife of 29 years Evgenia Citkowitz, and three children. He had been married to journalist Sarah Harvey between 1984 and 1987.
Dwyer also admitted in a Strava post from June that he had joked before the walk with his daughter about finding the actor by accident, only to do just that.
The LA Times then reported that the group found boots, walking equipment, and clothes, before finding Sands’ wallet that proved they’d discovered the late actor.
Dwyer noted that Sands’ boots had microspikes on them, which are small metal studs or cleats – however, microspikes are not suitable for hiking in snowy weather.
The hikers who found Sands chose not to speak to the media initially (Picture: Getty)
‘I was a little shocked to see the microspikes,’ Dwyer commented. ‘They were just the wrong tools for the job at hand.’
People visiting the mountain range had been pre-warned by local officials that they could stumble across Sands’ remains even without intending to.
Another one of the walkers in Dwyer’s group confessed that, due to the melting snow in the area, the chances of them finding Sands’ body had increased.
‘I hope we don’t find a dead body today,’ she said to the Los Angeles Times of her thoughts before the walk, revealing more about the day he was found.
The group of walkers then avoided talking to the media, only deciding to speak to the LA Times to warn others about the dangers of mountain ranges in winter.
After Sands’ remains were found, the local sheriff’s department released a statement that said: ‘The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results.’
‘We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to try to locate Mr Sands.’
Many paid tribute to Sands upon the confirmation of his death, celebrating his career in the movie industry which had spanned five decades.
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The actor was confirmed dead in June.