Human remains were discovered near the area where actor Julian Sands disappeared Jan. 13 while hiking in California.
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, identification of the remains should be completed by next week, BBC reported.
"Civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff's Station after they discovered human remains in the Mt Baldy wilderness," the sheriff's department said.
The update came days after it emerged that search efforts began anew to locate Sands, 65, who went missing hiking in the Baldy Bowl region of the San Gabriel Mountains north of Los Angeles.
More than 80 volunteers, deputies, and personnel from search and rescue teams joined the search Saturday, the sheriff's department noted at the time. Two helicopters and drone crews were deployed.
Initial search efforts resulted in the discovery of Sands' vehicle in a parking lot, believed to be the location where he had left it before his hike. Several days after he was reported missing, data from his mobile phone indicated that he had been moving.
However, ongoing search operations to locate Sands actor have been affected by adverse weather conditions prevalent throughout the area.
The sheriff's department has carried eight ground and aerial searches to find Sands. Dedicated volunteers have contributed more than 500 hours.
Sands' family issued a statement early this week expressing gratitude "to the search teams and coordinators who have worked tirelessly to find Julian."
"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," the family said.