Ocean's Thirteen Julian Sands Still Missing, Human Remains Ignite Worry

On January 13th, actor Julian Sands, who played Greco Montgomery in "Ocean's Thirteen", was reported missing after he went hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. Now, human remains have been found in the area, sparking worry among friends and fans.

Sands was first reported missing in the Baldy Bowl area on Jan. 13, by his wife, Evgenia Citkowitz. Rescue operations continued over the weekend with the authorities using all the tech they had on hand, including helicopters, drones, and infrared devices, but the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department later said that all had been in vain.

Officials tried to retrace his steps and ping his cell phone too in a bid to locate the English actor but nothing came out, and on January 23, the Sheriff's department Tweeted an update as well.

Coincidentally, another hiker went missing in the same area on January 23, but he was located alive the next day. With conditions on Mt. Baldy remaining dangerous because of the weather, the search went on but as the days passed, it seemed clear that the outcome may not be what the Sands family hoped for.

In a statement released this Saturday, the San Fernando Police Department issued a statement, which that confirmed human remains had been found in the area Julian Sands disappeared on California's Mount Baldy, stating, "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."

While Sands was not mentioned, the remains are in the same area of the Californian mountain that the actor was hiking in when first reported missing in January. The statement also read, "The decedent was transported to the Coroner’s Office, pending identification. Identification should be completed next week."

Many Twitter users responded with prayers and condolences:

"I really hope it isn't Julian Sands."

"He once was lost, but now he is found."

"Hopefully Julian and his family can finally have him home."

In a 2020 interview with "The Guardian", Sands revealed he was an avid hiker and that a "remote peak in the high Himalayas, such as Makalu" was on his bucket list. He also recalled the time he'd ever come close to death, during a '90s excursion in the Andes Mountains as he said that he and three others were "caught in an atrocious storm above 20,000 feet. We were all in a very bad way. Some guys close to us perished; we were lucky." Sands also said that the most important life lesson he learned was "to be nice, and grab [life] with both hands, we know it is short."

He also said that he would like to be remembered: "As an interesting, amusing father by my children."

People certainly remember him for his kindness.

The search for Julian Sands had to be discontinued because of worsening weather and just picked up earlier this month. On June 21, Sands' family issued a statement, some five months after the actor went missing, shared in a Tweet by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.

The statement read, "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."

At the time, the sheriff's department pointed out how the case was still active, and now, with the human remains being sent for identification, it's a matter of time to see if it brings closure to his family, in the wake of the tragedy.