LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Bill Dwyer, a hiker who was part of the group that discovered the body of British actor Julian Sands on Mt Baldy in Los Angeles back in June, recently opened up about the shocking discovery.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times, Dwyer said that "it was surreal" to come across the remains of the 'A Room With A View' star, who was first reported missing by his family on January 13.
On June 24, more than five months after Sands' disappearance, a group of hikers was climbing the steep Mt Baldy when they spotted bones, shoes, and the actor's driver's license.
What is known about Bill Dwyer?
Dwyer is a hiker who was a part of the group of hikers who discovered Brady's remains during a hike atop Mt Baldy.
In a Strava post from June captioned "Discovery and recovery of Julian Sands," Dwyer said he jokingly told his daughter that they were looking "for Julian Sands" before the Mt Baldy hike.
The hiker and his fellow group members initially avoided speaking with the media after discovering Sands' remains but only spoke to LA Times with the aim of warning others about the dangers of winter hiking.
Dwyer and the other hikers said that it is important to carry a full safety kit and to avoid becoming too relaxed while hiking even on paths that are familiar. Dwyer and his crew reportedly hiked more than 10 miles on the day they came across Sands' remains.
The hiker dubbed the discovery as "surreal" while speaking to The Los Angeles Times. Dwyer said that his group spotted that one of Sands' boots had microspikes, metal cleats that often attached to hiking shoes for hiking.
However, they knew that the spikes were not meant for winter hikes when the snow is heavy and the terrain is slippery and steep. "I was a little shocked to see the microspikes," Dwyer said. "They were just the wrong tools for the job at hand," he added.
Dwyer also mentioned that he could not find any helmet or ice ax along with Sands' remains, which he believes were necessities for the hike the actor was on. He said that Sands also wore dark clothing.
Upon finding Sands' remains, Dwyer used a Garmin satellite messaging device to reach out to rescue teams, who responded in eight minutes, marking an end to several months-long search investigation.
'I hope we don't find a dead body today'
In the weeks leading up to the discovery of Sands' body, hikers were warned that there could be remains on the trails and helicopters as search teams had been deployed in the area.
One of the hikers, who maintained anonymity, told the publication that they were worried about finding remains as the ice and snow began melting in the area. "I hope we don't find a dead body today," the hiker said about his thoughts.
The group that ultimately found Sands' remains knew that the actor's phone last pinged from a ridge beneath the mountain's summit. They were also aware of the possibility of Sands sliding down the canyon they were hiking on.
Three hours after Dwyer and his group's nearly eight-hour hike, they found one boot before spotting another a few yards up the hill. They later discovered trekking poles, bones, and dark winter clothes.
It was inside the pocket of the pants that the group saw a driver's license belonging to Sands with his name and picture. Sands was last known to be in the Baldy Bowl Trail area and were ultimately found in Goode Canyon.
The cause of Sands' death was dubbed "undetermined" due to the nature of his remains. It still remains unknown how and when the actor died.
