Human remains were found in the area in which the British actor Julian Sands was missing

In the area of ​​the San Gabriel Mountains in California, where British actor Julian Sands disappeared more than five months ago, human remains were found.

The Sheriff Department of the San Bernardino County said that civilian hikers had contacted the authorities on Saturday morning after found the remains in Mount Baldy's area.

The remains were brought to the forensic doctor's office until the clear identification, the department said.

It is expected that identification will be completed next week. At this point the department will issue a press release.

The 65-year-old Sands could not return from a hike in Mount Baldy area in the South California mountains on January 13th.

The actor is known for his roles in the films "A Room With A View", "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Warlock" as well as for his television appearances at "24", "Smallville" and "Banshee".

The discovery of the remains was made shortly after his family had published an explanation in which it was said that they would continue to keep it "in our hearts with radiant memories".

"We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have tirelessly worked on finding Julian," says a family declaration that was published on Wednesday by the sheriff department.

"We continue to carry Julian in our hearts and like to remember him as a wonderful father, husband, explorer, lover of nature and arts as well as an original and cooperative artist."

The sheriff department added that the case was still active, although Sands had not been found during searches on June 17th.

The search was difficult by the poor conditions in the area and discontinued in March due to the avalanche danger.

Since his disappearance, eight search actions have been carried out on the floor and in the air to Sands, with the number of volunteer seekers fraud.

A spokesman for the sheriff department previously said that her goal was to "bring Sand's family to rest".