English actor, Julian Sands’ cause of death has been ruled ‘undetermined’ due to the condition of his remains five-months after it was found on snow-covered mountain in California .
The 65-year-old actor’s body was discovered by hikers last month near Mount Baldy after he disappeared during a trek in the then-snow-covered area of California’s San Gabriel Mountains.
Following an investigation, his final manner of death has been deemed as undetermined, according to an official.
The ‘undetermined’ manner of death is common when dealing with cases of this type, a spokesperson with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department told PEOPLE.
Sands, an avid hiker and mountaineer, was reported missing in January after setting out on the peak, which rises more than 10,000 feet east of Los Angeles.
The region was pounded by severe storms during the winter.
On June 24, hikers stumbled upon human remains in the wilderness which were then sent to the coroner’s office and confirmed as Sands’.
His family had held out hope the actor would be found alive.
Shortly before his remains were found, they said in a statement: ‘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.
‘We are deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian.’
Sands was born in 1958 in Yorkshire, northern England, to mother Brenda who raised him and his four brothers alone following her divorce.
Sands was married to US journalist Evgenia Citkowitz and had three adult children.