Julian Sands' tragic story may finally get some closure after all -- hikers discovered human remains in the same area where he went missing ... and they could very well be his.
The San Bernardino Sheriff's Dept. reported the remains were found on Saturday in Mount Baldy. Deputies responded to the scene and brought the victim's remains to the coroner's office for identification ... which will be revealed next week.
As we reported, Sands went missing in January after hiking alone in the mountainous area just north of Los Angeles. A full-scale search and rescue effort was undertaken but with no success ... even as recently as June.
In fact, it was just last week SBSD conducted its eighth organized search with a rescue team of about 80 volunteers. Hundreds of hours have been put into the search ... through the use of helicopters, drones, and other tactics. SBSD said they came up short yet again.
Sands' family recently made their first statement since the actor disappeared ... saying they were, "deeply grateful to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian." Some of Sands' relatives have expressed they've already said their goodbyes.
Sands starred in popular films during the '80s and '90s -- including "Warlock", "Arachnophobia," "Gothic," "Boxing Helena," and more. He was 65 when he vanished.
Time will tell if this is, indeed, him.