Human remains found in California mountain area where actor Julian Sands went missing

Hikers found human remains Saturday in a Southern California mountain area where actor Julian Sands disappeared five months ago, authorities said.

The body, discovered around 10 a.m. local time in the wilderness near Mount Baldy, was transported to the coroner's office for identification next week, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department said in a statement.

Additional details were not immediately available.

Sands, an avid hiker and mountaineer, was reported missing January 13 after setting out on the peak that rises more than 10,000 feet (3,048 metres) east of Los Angeles. The region was pounded by severe storms during winter.

On Friday, his family released its first statement since Sands' disappearance.

"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," the statement said.

Sands, a 65-year-old British-born actor best known for his role in the 1985 film A Room With a View, is married to journalist Evgenia Citkowitz and has three adult children.

A June 17 search for Sands, the eighth organized search since his disappearance, was unsuccessful, authorities said.