Actor Julian Sands was reported missing in January after hiking the notoriously dangerous Mount San Antonio, known locally as Mount Baldy, just outside the city of Los Angeles.

Sands, who shot to fame in 1985 for his role in A Room with a View, was thought to be an experienced hiker, bringing into question what really happened to him on the 10 000-foot (3 000-metre) mountain.

Suspicions arose when the actor's car was found parked near where he might have begun his hike – and authorities began tracking his phone, which indicated he was on the move two days after he was reported missing.

After conducting several searches, however, over a six-month period, it was a group of hikers who found human remains in the wilderness where Sands disappeared.

As authorities confirm it was Sands' remains that were found, people are questioning, again, what really happened to Sands, a frequent hiker and outdoorsman.

Click read more for a closer look at what may have happened to Julian.