Missing CA Father Found Dead

Culture & Society Forum

Missing California father found dead
Lost in snowy Oregon canyon; wife, two children found alive earlier

BREAKING NEWS

Updated: 9 minutes ago
MERLIN, Ore. - A San Francisco man who got stranded in the snowy wilderness with his family nearly two weeks ago was found dead Wednesday in the mountains, authorities said.

James Kim’s body was discovered two days after his wife and two daughters were rescued from their car, stuck on a remote road. Kim had set out on foot over the weekend to find help for his family.

The Kim family had been missing since Nov. 25. They were heading home to San Francisco after a family vacation in the Pacific Midwest.

Kim, 35, was a senior editor for the technology media company CNET Networks Inc.

Check back for developments on this story.

This is so sad. I've been following this story since I heard the family was missing in Oregon. They just found the mother and the two daughters on Monday, alive and healthy. I was really hoping he would be found alive. I heard he only went out to seek for help with tennis shoes, pants and sweater b/c he left most of the stuff with his kids. In that crazy Oregon weather, it was a slim chance he'd make it but I dont' know, i guess I was hoping for a miracle or something. Poor guy, poor family.

For those who didn't know the story to begin with:

Missing California father found dead
Lost in snowy Oregon canyon; wife, two children found alive earlier
BREAKING NEWS

Updated: 10 minutes ago
MERLIN, Ore. - A San Francisco man who got stranded in the snowy wilderness with his family nearly two weeks ago was found dead Wednesday in the mountains, authorities said.

James Kim’s body was discovered two days after his wife and two daughters were rescued from their car, stuck on a remote road. Kim had set out on foot over the weekend to find help for his family.

Kim’s wife, Kati, and two daughters, Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were rescued Monday at their car, stuck in the snow on a remote road.

When he left the car Saturday, James Kim went about two miles along the road, and then headed down into a drainage area called Big Windy Creek, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police.

About 100 rescue workers and four helicopters searched for Kim, following his footprints down the creek, which leads to the Rogue River.

Missing after Thanksgiving
The Kims had been missing since Nov. 25, when they left Portland and headed home after a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Kati Kim told officers they were traveling south from Portland on Interstate 5 and missed the turnoff to a state highway, Oregon 42, that leads through the Coast Range to Gold Beach, where they planned to stay at a resort.

Officers said the couple used a map to choose the road they were on. “They got the map out — a regular highway map — that showed the route,” Anderson said.

However, it wasn’t clear whose map the couple used. The 2005-2007 state highway map distributed by the Oregon Department of Transportation has a warning in red print, inside a red box: “This route closed in winter.” A Rand-McNally map did not have a similar warning.

On Monday, searchers in a private helicopter hired by the family spotted Kati Kim, 30, and the two girls. They were released from a hospital in Grants Pass on Tuesday.

Stuck, the family used their car heater until it ran out of gas, then burned tires to stay warm and attract attention. With only a few jars of baby food and limited supplies, Kati Kim nursed her children.

Wow...I was wondering if he would show up.

Sad news. This is the reason why cell phones are so important.

They had a cell phone. But it's not gonna get reception way out there in the middle of nowhere. It seems like where one would need a cell phone most, you wouldn't be able to use it.

Dude is a hero, doing what any man would have done to save his family. It's the no-win situation. But he did the right thing and bless him for it.

-HECK!

It is a sad outcome, but I don't understand why everybody is bending over backwards to call this guy a hero. On TV, all the experts are giving him a standing ovation. Yet aren't these the same experts who always warn us never to leave a stranded car to go looking for help?

He was a hero because his family was in danger, and he said "screw the saftey issues, I'm going for help". Guy didn't voice that out loud, but he said it with his actions.


I think I would do the same thing, just take off and do what I could, if I died I died.

I agree with you, mystic... the entire thing is very sad, and had they stayed in an area that wasn't outside of the reception of their cell phone, it could have made all the difference. People don't think about these things, sadly, when traveling, and put themselves in danger, every single day.

I guess it would be hard to just sit tight in the car, not knowing to what extent, if any, you were being missed. Apparently, they were missed, since a search was launched. He headed out on foot, without accurate knowlege of a destination, and he made a decision to hike through the mountainous forest instead of the road.

I would think that hiking a mile through that kind of terrain would be like hiking 15 miles on the road. He ended up going in a big circle that took him nearly back to the car before he died. Ironically, there was a hunting lodge that was fully stocked with food just a mile away from the car.

Obvious the panel on getting stuck in the snow experts don't say you're a coward for staying in your car. And it's a fact if dude would have stayed he would be alive. But he is being touted as a hero because he risked his life and paid the ultimate price to save his family and you can't fault or question that.

-HECK!

Well you could question anything if you really want to. But for me, no you can't.

-HECK!

Well I thik the guy did the right thing. He had no idea if theybwould be found oir indeed being looked for and had no way of communicating with the outside world so as long as he was wearing proper clothing he did the right thing. Obvioulsy we can say he made mistakes no map, didn't walk down the way and went of the road, but he did waht he did for the right reasons and it is a tragedy for his family.

Very true. In hindsight looking at the big picture it's easy to say he didn't make the right decisions. Dunno, is it better to try or to sit around and cross your fingers?

-HECK!

yes, for the MOST PART, people tell you you should stay where you are b/c you have a better chance of being found. but it doesn't always work that way. Look at that couple that got stuck in the snow for days, and the guy left the girl and their baby in the snow and went looking for help. HE FOUND SOMEONE, and brought help back to the girls. IT WORKED THEN! Unfortunately, this Cali man paid the ultimate price when he risked his life to save his family. I think anyone in this situation would do the same. And yes, it IS heroic to risk your life for someone else's. I don't think you should question that. You can't question something you don't know anything about. No one was there with them. No one knew their situation. Maybe he felt like he HAD to leave. I mean they were in their car for like a week before he decided to leave. Maybe he felt he was their only chance.

We had this as our local current event in my government class the other day. This guy should have never been driving on the back roads of an unfamiliar town in the snow. Big mistake right off the bat. Some people say that he was a hero for leaving his car, but I think that was just another bad mistake. Like Illuminate said, you have a much better chance of being found if you are staying where you are than if you are wandering around in the snow.

It's really sad that this happened, and I guess it can be used as a warning to not take risks while driving in the snow--stick to the main roads where if something happens, there's people nearby that can help you.

Maybe taking the back roads was a bad move but leaving the car was absolutkly the right thing to do ( providing he had adequate clothing) there is less chance of you being found in a mountanous area so you are better to get out and walk and try and head down the way.

The news (and the wife) said that they were taking the main roads, but missed the onramp to the main freeway and were too far to turn back, so they checked out the map they had that said there was some main highway coming up. HOWEVER, their map didn't tell them that during the winter that highway closes due to snow. So it's not like they were purposely trying to offroad it or anything. And maybe he wasn't walking in circles, maybe they found him close to a mile by his car because he was on his way back?

He finds some to help he's the smartest person, he's found in a snowy grave it's a mistake? It's easy to label after the fact. At that moment dude bucked up and did what he tought was best for his family in dire circumstances.

-HECK!

The fact is... this guy did something to try to save his families lives. He put his life at risk, because they were more important to him. How was he to know that a rescue team would show up? They had no idea, at all, that people would report them missing. So, he did something quite heroic.

I agree

It sounds like there is some more trouble out there with those mountain climbers needing rescue.

I heard about that story earlier.

Now mountain climbing in the snow, on purpose, totally not a good idea.

-HECK!

Yeah we get that every year in Scotland normally some numpty from England who thinks they can handle mountain climbing and our mountain rescue srvice which is voluntary have to risk thier lives to go and get them. You have to respect the mountains and these people don't

Well in Scotland the mountain rescue service if a volunteer service because the gov't won't cough up the cash for it. They also cannot charge the idiots that get stuck for the price of the rescue which sucks IMO.

It does not look good for the two other climbers, but I have a question. What was it that actually went wrong? I know that is as dangerous as all get out, but the whole game is about the intense skill and method of dealing with that danger. They plan for everything. So what went wrong?

We should start a thread for the climbers, because this was for the family that was in the car, and the father left to try and find help, and died.