'Final determination' on actor Julian Sands' cause of death

The cause of death for British actor Julian Sands, who went missing in the mountains of southern California in January and was later found dead, has been cited as “undetermined,” CNN has confirmed.

“The cause is ‘Undetermined’ due to the condition of the body and because no other factors were discovered during the coroner’s investigation, this is common when dealing with cases of this type. This is the final determination,” Mara Rodriguez, public information officer for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Coroner Department, told CNN in a statement overnight.

Last month, human remains found in the San Gabriel mountains were determined to be those of Sands, CNN confirmed at the time. He was 65.

Sands is best known for his work in shows like 24 and movies like A Room with a View and The Killing Fields.

The actor had been the subject of an ongoing search in the Mt Baldy area since he failed to return from a hike on January 13.

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Weather conditions had hindered search efforts in the weeks following his disappearance, but officials announced a renewed effort to locate Sands in June.

Officials said at the time that over 80 search and rescue volunteers, deputies and staff participated in the search efforts, supported by two helicopters and drone crews as volunteers searched in “remote areas across Mt Baldy.”

Sands loved hiking, according to his family.

“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,” his family said in a statement to The Guardian around the time his body was found.