Human remains found in search for missing Gotham and Call of Duty actor Julian Sands

Human remains have been discovered amidst the search for missing actor Julian Sands, perhaps best known for portraying Dr. Gerald Crane in Gotham and DeFalco in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

On 13 January 2023, Sands embarked on a hike in Mount Baldy, California. Sands is an experienced and passionate mountaineer but was soon reported missing. He left for the hike just one week after his 65th birthday. In the months since, police and investigators have been searching for Mr Sands, or in the worst case scenario, his remains. Severe storms have hindered this process. The actor's mobile phone last pinged on 15 January, two days after he left for the hike.

It’s thought that Sands was taking on the Baldy Bowl trail. Taking hikers to the summit of the San Gabriel mountain, this particular trail climbs over 3,900 feet over 4.5 miles. There have been several avalanches in recent months, with a 40-year record of snowfall in California.

On 19 June, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department announced that more than 80 search and rescue personnel had been sent to some of Mount Baldy’s most remote areas to continue the search effort. The statement further confirmed that to date, there had been eight official search missions, with over 500 volunteered hours given.

As reported by Variety (via ComicBook), on 24 June, officials confirmed that human remains had been found in the region where Mr Sands was said to have gone missing. "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 police statement read. "The decedent was transported to the Coroner's Office, pending positive identification. Identification should be completed next week."

Last week, Mr Sands' family released the following statement: "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."

Formal identification of the remains is underway.