Kati Kim and children found, James Kim still missing
By Ryan Block 
posted Dec 4th 2006 6:11PM
posted Dec 4th 2006 6:11PM
Kati Kim and the Kim children (Sabine and Penelope) were just found alive in Oregon; they apparently flagged down a search and rescue helicopter that was hunting for the missing family. James Kim is still missing, however. From what we understand he left two days ago in search of help. We do not yet know how deep in the Oregon wilderness the Kim family was, the circumstances that brought them there, or the condition of Kati and her children, although she and the children have been airlifted to a local hospital. More news as we get it.For those unfamiliar, CNET editor James Kim and his family have been missing in Oregon for over a week now. All our previous coverage can be found here.
CNET has more information here. A press conference will be held at 5:00PM PST today. CNET TV is rebroadcasting that conference online. We will be liveblogging it here to keep you up to the minute with the latest Kim family updates.
Press conference updates: Apparently James's tracks were found for two miles leading away from their car, and followed along the side of a road, over a ridge and into a ravine. Choppers will continue the search through the night with night vision optics.
Kati and the children are reportedly in "very good shape." Carson helicopters, Randy Jones, and federal agencies had four ships in the air at all times, and were assisted by Edge Wireless's cell-tower hit model which helped locate the Kims' wireless signals. The search will continue with dogs, more choppers, and all possible resources 24x7. James is likely to have made it as far as 20 miles.
The Kims were stuck in the snow off a main road; for the last 8 days the family kept warm at night by running their car. Eventually the Kims burned tires at night when the gas ran out. James left his family at 7:45AM with the intention to return by 1:00PM that day, but obviously has not yet returned. Those concerned are encouraged to check FlashAlert.net for further updates.
Update (12/5): In another press conference this morning, we learned that while searching for James Kim in the Oregon wilderness heat traces were spotted with infrared cameras. Unfortunately those attempting to find James have been unable to get into the area where the heat traces were spotted, and unable to yet verify if this is James (or a woodland animal). Another press conference has been scheduled for 4:15PM PST today; we'll keep you up to the minute.
That's good news!
YES!!!!
What a relief. While I'm still holding out for James to show up somewhere, I am so relieved that the kids and wife are ok.
Please, James, make it to safety.
Nice! Hope he's found ok.
This is amazing news! I've been following this closely and I'm really happy the Kim women are safe and okay. James is a smart man....if his family can survive, he can too!
I'm glad they're okay.
Wow....Ive been following this story. Hopefully they find James in good health.
Very happy to hear that the wife and kids are ok, looking forward to them finding Mr. Kim shortly.
Do we know what happened to leave them lost in Oregon?
OMG, this is such good news.....I just hope James is ok now.
Oh man, that's GREAT news!!! If he is wandering around looking for help, that means there's still hope to find him!!!!
This is such great news, I hope James is found next
Add me to the vigil - wishes and prayers go out to James and his safe return.
I'm really glad they were found. Hopefully they will find James really soon.
KOMO-TV video of inital press conference: http://www.komotv.com/news/4822626.html
Great news! We Oregonians lose enough people, we're good at searching those nooks for them. Now we need to keep the search up for James Kim!
Amazing. Hope pays off. Hope they find James alright.
best news all day!
THANK GOD! Please send good vibes to Jim. JIM PLEASE COME HOME SAFE!!!
Glad to hear they are safe, and now the search and rescue team has a much narrower place to look for james
YAY! I'm happy now, I hope James is okay. How'd they get stranded? Car crash?
JOY
JOY
JOY
JOY
man........good thing that he's gone missing in Oregon instead of N.Dakota.
Thank God they found the Kati and the kids. I hope they find James soon!!!!
Man, I'm so glad they were found.
I hope they find James alive and well!
It sounds like their GPS might of told them to take NF-33, a really bad Forest Service road(I've taken it in summer a few times, in an 4x4 truck, and even then, your not sure you can travel the entire road) that would get you to a little town called Agness. Then, unstead of turning right, towards Gold Beach, they must of turned left towards Glendale and Merlin. Or they could of went down I-5 until they got to Merlin, then started driving down NF-23. Either way, its not something I would drive in a station wagon during winter.
Man. Those that are familiar with the area know that the outlook for James is bleak. Pray for the best but expect the worst. I don't know what he had for clothing and supplies but two days (let alone nights) in that are is going to be tough. He was WAY off of I-5 on a BLM road.
Great news. The weather on the West Coast has been abnormally cold since Thanksgiving. Let's hope James Kim is found soon.
I'm glad the family was found and I hope James is found next. But like Eric said, two days without proper supplies and clothing in November/December Oregon isn't fun.
Oh, thats fine news. James next please.
Thank God. Now let's find James.
Extremely good news. Really glad to hear that they are all right. Now if only they can find James Kim.
Good news, but man oh man, I hope James is okay--I'm glued to the news sites for updates. James, you have to make it out and write an article about how technology failed you--I look forward to that article, it will happen.
http://www.google.com/maps?q=Glendale,+OR+97442&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=42.576423,-123.748198&spn=0.011424,0.035706&t=h&om=1
This is such great news. It is so much more likely now that they'll find James since they now know where to look. I don't know these people, but I am sitting here with tears of joy streaming down my face. Just great, great news.
That is just wonderful news. I hope they find James very soon.
Awesome x 3. Thanks God.
Man I hope the goodnews keeps coming.
I guess many people don't know this, but the number one thing you do not do is leave your vehicle in bad winter weather. Ever.
It almost guarantees for you to die.
Be realistic. He stayed with the car (and his family) for seven days At that point, any reasonable human being, particularly under the circumstances, would weigh their options and have to make a choice between starving or making a last-ditch attempt to find help. After a week, I don't know that I would be holding out a lot of hope of being found.
Hindsight is 20/20. In retrospect, it's obvious to say, NOW, he should have stayed with the car.
This looks like the area where they were ("Big Windy Creek" near Bear Camp):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=42.65,+-123.72&ie=UTF8&z=10&ll=42.650122,-123.719788&spn=0.587856,1.459808&t=h&om=1&iwloc=addr
After this much time, I never expected this kind of good news out of this story, so I have high hopes for James. My heart goes out to them.
that's really good news, but not really great news. hope james is ok.
Glad to hear they they found Mrs. Kim and the kids and there doing OK. Hope they find Mr. Kim soon, all the best to his family.
Very glad to see that Kati and the girls are alright. Amazing what they've done to survive. Still praying that James will be found alive. Fingers crossed.
Excellent News! I hope that they find that Mr. Kim has found warmth and safety - I truly hope that he is able to be reunited with his family.
Oh my god this is amazing! Now go find James!
I was actually in Best Buy when I first read this site and I let out a big thank god and everyone just turned at looked at me.
This is awesome news, I really wish I had the means to get out to Oregon, because I'd definitely go and help in the search for him.
Are you normally this stupid, yosh, or did the short yellow bus hit you when they came to take you to school?
Seriously, anyone found alive after eight days is worth celebrating over. Not to mention that now, they know where Mr. Kim started from, and how long ago, which is going to make tracking him down much easier.
At least this is finally hitting the pipeline:
http://www.comcast.net/news/national/index.jsp?cat=DOMESTIC&fn=/2006/12/04/534584.html&cvqh=itn_missingfamily
"Those concerned are encouraged to check FlashAlert.net for further updates."
I think that everyone in the digi community is deeply concerned for the safety of the entire family. Although most of us may not know the family personally, its great to see the support of everyone who truly appreciates the well being of the people who write the trivial gadget stuff we read everyday. Thanks to all the sources that have kept this story and the thoughts of the Kim family close to mind. Hope to hear news of James safe return soon!!!
I'm suprised that they were able to triangulate the family's position based on wireless device signal strength to cellphone towers. I didn't know that search and rescue teams these days were so sophisticated. Way to go.
I hope Mr. Kim is ok, but based on what I see in Survivor Man, Climbing Mt. Everest and Man vs Wild, going for so long without food and proper gear in such a harsh environment seems like it would be tough. I hope they find him soon.
why don't they use sky writers...u can see does for miles and if you write enough of them out someones buond to see them...i mean hold out a banner on a by-plane or something, telling him to get to high position or in a clearing that helicopters are looking for him...
As a former member of CAP, I can tell you that you should NEVER move if you have broken down or crashed, no matter what. Its way easier to spot a car or a crashed plane than a guy walking, and the vehicle also offers shelter. No matter how long, DONT LEAVE! it might take awhile, but eventually someone will come looking for you.
Well, I'm very happy to hear that the wife and children are safe, I'm sure that was his #1 priority. I really hope he's alright, time will tell.
This is great news, it is amazing that after that long the children and wife were ok. As much as I wanted to be positive I was beginning to loose hope with each passing hour. I just hope that James will be found now and he will be fine too.
Also this might be of some interest it is a live feed of the police dispatch/scanner for Grants Pass where they are looking for James.
http://www.joco-scanning.info/GPDPS%20Police%20Radio%20Feed.m3u
I'm not religous but I pray that they find Kim and that he is OK.
As of 10:57 PM local news reports that James is still missing. They've tracked him into the Windy Creek Drainage and searchers will continue through the night. Tracking dogs arrive in the morning. Police report that James was dressed warmly and had a lighter with him.
I've posted a link to this area here:
http://joeduck.wordpress.com/2006/12/04/map-of-james-kims-probable-location/
I don't really get this, if the cellphone could be tracked why couldn't it be used for communication?
Surely this was the problem, no signal for an SOS call.
Also they can tell how far from the tower the phone is positioned to within a few hundred feet, so a single tower signal gives a radius and multiple tower will give a a triangulation.
I'm guessing they just started with a 'last know position'
As much as I hate to say it the guy prob didn't make it. I mean seriously. This man has prob never experienced a REAL winter in his life. YOU NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER leave your car. Not only are you more likely to be found in your tin can. But you also will stay more isolated from the elements.
My prayer is ever more intense knowing that he left his car behind. Let this be a lesson to everyone else - never leave your car behind. Your car will be found days before they can find you.
Glad there found. Hope James is found soon.
skywriting doesn't really work very well if you can't see the sky, either because of bad weather, or because you're face down on the ground, succumbing to the effects of hunger, hypothermia, wild carnivores (bears, wolves, lynxs, etc) and exposure.
I'm sure they will find him, as they have an idea what direction he was going in, and how long he had been out of the vehicle, but he'll be a mess when they do :( in a realistic best case scenario, 7+ days out in cold wilderness would leave you with some severe frostbite, probably bad enough that he'll lose extremities (ears, fingers, toes, nose, OTHER (use imagination), and possibly even larger parts of his limbs, depending on what he was wearing, and whether or not he's been able to keep himself dry).
The worst thing about this all is that he should have known better than to leave, as most people have been saying. it is to your advantage to stay together in your vehicle, if for no other reason, because as others have said, the car shields you from the elements, and the collective body heat of the occupants will be contained inside for a fair time, not to mention that a vehicle is easier to see from a distance than a person. notwithstanding the psycological benefits to all by remaing unified in the face of uncertainty and adversity.
seriously, what as the guy's plan? that after driving through the seemingly endless forest, that he'd be able to get out and (A) find another driver to ask for help? (B) stumble across a gas station in the middle of nowhere? (C) single-handedly track, trap, and kill some kind of animal for food, and most importantly, be able to find his way back to his family? This situation is marked by a tragic series of SNAFUs and errors in judgement that will result in an equally tragic outcome, i fear. :(
he's been out far too long, probably hasn't found a single bite to eat, (you can't just go around plucking random leaves or berries off of plants, some of those are poisonous, and most simply can't be digested by the human digestive system), seeing as how he's in seriously unfamiliar torritory, he's probably stepped in more than one water hole (hypothermia risk), and if he encountered a dangerous animal, in the physically weakened state that he is in, he would not be able to escape or fight it/them off, and i doubt that he took anything to start a fire with, not that having the tools is a guarantee of prolonged warmth.
I really do feel badly about the situation, but we have to be realistic. Things won't turn out roses and sunshine for Mr. Kim. I pray for his surviving family to find the strength they'll definately need in the coming days, and for the safety of the recovery party, as their lives are also at risk.
Also, i would ask that you all take this time to reflect on the many others who may have found themselves in similar situations in the past, who may be lost in unfamiliar territory right now themselves (it's a large planet, after all), and who may find themselves in somethig like this in the future, most of whom won't have nearly as much media attention devoted to their plights. In that respect, at the very least, the Kim family were blessed to have the resources made available to help them, while many others will not.
Every shortcut we take in life has some kind of risk attached. Sometimes, it's better to be late than to take the chance of not arriving at all.
This is really very sad. To put this in perspective for the city folks. I had a friend who went missing while snowmobiling with his father, two weeks ago, north of this area. Search and rescue had an idea of their location but the 80 inches of powder was so light and fresh that the rescue snowcats couldn't stay on top of the snow and just sunk. After 4 days rescuers were able to snowshoe in. They found the son in a state of severe hypothermia and the father had passed. These were two men that had the necessary clothing, equipment, and skills (they used to teach wilderness survival courses) to survive. They just made some errors in judgement and got stuck, even with snowmobiles, it can happen in these parts.
I'm affraid that there was little to no chance for James.
They should have stuck to one of the major passes like Santiam Pass. Road crews work hard to keep those open. I've been through there when all you could see was a 15' wall of snow, from the plows, on either side of you. Like a huge trench in the snow.
Where James is trying to walk from is virtually uninhabited. There's really nowhere to go especially if you leave the road which he should never have done.
The main thing he has going for him is the fact that no new snow has covered his tracks, yet. he's certainly not dressed for it. Jeans are cotton and "cotton kills" in these situations. Usually from your own persperation being absorbed and freezing.
I hate to be grim but it doesn't look good. I've been a bit of a fan from his TechTV days. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Actually the Santiam Pass cross the Cascade range.
Highway 22 from Salem to Lincoln city is usually how I get to the coast this time of year.
Did Google kill James Kim?
By Associated Press
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) - The snow-covered back-country road that trapped the Kim family of San Francisco was meant for tourists, but not at this time of year.
Authorities say the cyber-savvy family may have plucked the route from Grants Pass to Gold Beach from an online mapping service, unaware of the elements.
Despite its impassable snowdrifts and single-lane, Bear Camp Road is offered as the preferred route on some Web sites and on-board directions software available on some new cars. And most of those have no business in those mountains in the winter.
Yahoo and MapQuest offer Highways 199 and 101 as the preferred route. A Google map search, however, suggests the Bear Camp route, a series of federal forest roads used mostly in summer.
Oregon Department of Transportation maps offer the more common directions, de-emphasizing Bear Camp Road.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
I'm so glad that his wife and children were safe, I really hope that James is found soon. There's more hope now that his family have been found.
Let's keep praying that Mr. Kim turns up safe!
I am shocked and appalled by the rude comments. Mr. Kim may be dead, and all some of you can say is some idiotic comment.
Let this be a lesson to all of us who post on other forums on other websites:
If there are people who can make the childish comments we've seen here in the face of such a tragedy, is it any wonder every other thread in every other forum on every other website has the typical F1RST! I HAXX0RZ posts?
Some people just have no respect - for anything.
I am a sick troll, and I sincerely deserve to be spammed: thedvs01@gmail.com
Fox News reports that police found what they think are a pair of his pants in the wilderness.
They found his pants. I'm getting scared.
As a Quaker.... I'd like to hold James in the light. God please keep him safe until his rescuers find him.
This is comforting. It's good to know they found his family safe and sound. Just hope they find James quickly.
Not to be a naysayer, but it's definitely not a good sign that there's no news update since yesterday. A "we're still searching" update this morning would be better news.
Typically, the only time a story this hot has such a long pause in it's updates is out of respect and legal issues, as in the case when someone is confirmed dead. Appropriate family members have to be contacted first, documents signed, etc.
I certainly hope this isn't the case, but try as I might I can't imagine another reason for the long delay in ALL news updates.
I really feel bad that James was not found alive. But I wonder what was going through his mind when he decided to take the route he took. I have driven that way and I would never have taken the way he went, let alone in ther dead of winter. What was he thinking? Was he very smart? I'm very sorry that he did'nt make it, but what was going through his mind, to take his family the way way he chose?
I am glad he is deid he raped me and now i have his baby boy. he did not even pey child care hes a bitch
Get lost Tiffany, that's a ludicrous statement to make. Morons like yourself don't deserve to be here, stop breathing our air.
I would like to offer my condolences to Kati Kim & her children. She has got to be the best mom in the world to survive that with her 2 small children. I had to cry when they found Mr Kim, be brave Kim. Linda Moore, Saginaw Michigan