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Soon after the recovery of Kati Kim and her children, search and rescue teams followed James Kim's footprints back along the road for roughly five miles after which those prints left the road and led into the heavily wooded [[Big Windy Creek]] drainage area. The trackers who were searching for James Kim soon found an extra pair of pants Kim was carrying when he left his car in search of help. It is now believed that Kim may have been shedding his clothes in response to [[hypothermia]] and [[frostbite]], which often leave their victims feeling overheated. <ref name="msnbc_16079394"/>
Soon after the recovery of Kati Kim and her children, search and rescue teams followed James Kim's footprints back along the road for roughly five miles after which those prints left the road and led into the heavily wooded [[Big Windy Creek]] drainage area. The trackers who were searching for James Kim soon found an extra pair of pants Kim was carrying when he left his car in search of help. It is now believed that Kim may have been shedding his clothes in response to [[hypothermia]] and [[frostbite]], which often leave their victims feeling overheated. <ref name="msnbc_16079394"/>


Throughout Monday and Tuesday, as efforts to find Kim intensified, officials continued to act under the assumption that James Kim was alive, and initially interpreted the clothing items they found as trail markers left behind to indicate his location. At a press conference, Oregon search and rescue officials said that Tuesday, they had found a location in the [[Big Windy Creek]] drainage where two gray long-sleeve shirts, a red short-sleeve t-shirt, one wool sock, a girl's blue skirt, and pieces of an Oregon state map had been placed. The items were later positively identified by the Kim family as items James took with him when he was last seen. About the items, Oregon officials stated, "These were placed with our belief that little signs are being left by James for anyone that may be trying to find him so that they can continue into the area that he's continuing to move in." <ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6141132.html| title = Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim| accessdate = 2006-12-06| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref>
Throughout Monday and Tuesday, as efforts to find Kim intensified, officials continued to act under the assumption that James Kim was alive, and initially interpreted the clothing items they found as trail markers left behind to indicate his location. At a press conference, Oregon search and rescue officials said that on Tuesday they had found a location in the [[Big Windy Creek]] drainage where two gray long-sleeve shirts, a red short-sleeve t-shirt, one wool sock, a girl's blue skirt, and pieces of an Oregon state map had been placed. The items were later positively identified by the Kim family as items James took with him when he was last seen. About the items, Oregon officials stated, "These were placed with our belief that little signs are being left by James for anyone that may be trying to find him so that they can continue into the area that he's continuing to move in." <ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6141132.html| title = Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim| accessdate = 2006-12-06| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref>


On Wednesday, [[December 6]], within hours of Oregon officials announcing their intentions to drop care packages along with a letter from Kim's father,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6141132.html| title = Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim| accessdate = 2006-12-06| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> James Kim's body was found in [[Big Windy Creek]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16070337/|title=Distraught rescue crews come up just short|date=2006-12-06|publisher=MSNBC|author=Alex Johnson, Alan Boyle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234880,00.html|publisher=Fox News|title=Body of Missing San Francisco Dad Found in Oregon|date=2006-12-06}}</ref> Lying on his back in one to two feet of icy water, he was fully clothed and had been carrying a backpack which contained his ID among other miscellaneous items.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/James+Kim+died+of+hypothermia%2C+autopsy+reveals/2100-1028_3-6141886.html| title = James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals| accessdate = 2006-12-08| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> Autopsy results released the next day revealed that Kim had died due to hypothermia and that his body had suffered no incapacitating physical injuries. Though no definite time of death could be established, the Deputy State Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy guessed that Kim had died roughly two days after leaving the vehicle.<ref>{{cite news
On Wednesday, [[December 6]], within hours of Oregon officials announcing their intentions to drop care packages along with a letter from Kim's father,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/1606-2-6141132.html| title = Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim| accessdate = 2006-12-06| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> James Kim's body was found in [[Big Windy Creek]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16070337/|title=Distraught rescue crews come up just short|date=2006-12-06|publisher=MSNBC|author=Alex Johnson, Alan Boyle}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,234880,00.html|publisher=Fox News|title=Body of Missing San Francisco Dad Found in Oregon|date=2006-12-06}}</ref> Lying on his back in one to two feet of icy water, he was fully clothed and had been carrying a backpack which contained his ID among other miscellaneous items.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://news.com.com/James+Kim+died+of+hypothermia%2C+autopsy+reveals/2100-1028_3-6141886.html| title = James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals| accessdate = 2006-12-08| publisher = CNET Networks}}</ref> Autopsy results released the next day revealed that Kim had died due to hypothermia and that his body had suffered no incapacitating physical injuries. Though no definite time of death could be established, the Deputy State Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy guessed that Kim had died roughly two days after leaving the vehicle.<ref>{{cite news

Revision as of 06:03, 9 December 2006

This article is about a CNET Networks, Inc. employee. For the Korean guitar player, see Kim Se Hwang.
James Kim

James Kim (August 9, 1971 – c. December 4, 2006) was a Korean American technology analyst most widely known as Senior Tech Analyst for TechTV Labs, spending time in front of the camera for the former TechTV international cable television network, reviewing products for shows including The Screen Savers, Call for Help, and Fresh Gear. He most recently worked as Senior Editor of MP3 and Digital Audio for CNET, writing over 400 product reviews. He also co-hosted a weekly podcast for CNET's gadget blog, Crave, with Veronica Belmont. The unique events surrounding his disappearance propelled him into the media spotlight in December 2006.

Early life and background

James, who was of Korean descent, was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. He graduated from Ballard High School in Louisville[1] in 1989, and was a 1993 graduate of Oberlin College in Ohio.[2] He was the son of Spencer H. Kim[1], an aerospace company executive and internationalist[2]. He already had some level of experience with the outdoors and listed his interests as techno and acoustic music, big cities, nature and space.

James and his wife Kati owned two retail stores in San Francisco: Doe, a boutique clothing store, and the Church Street Apothecary.[3]

Snowbound with family

File:James-kim-techtv.jpg
James Kim on TechTV

Kim, his wife Kati, and two small daughters, Penelope and Sabine, while traveling home from Portland, Oregon to San Francisco, California on November 25, 2006, became stuck in snow on a minor logging road after accidentally leaving Bear Camp Road in southwest Oregon between Grants Pass and Gold Beach. The road that James Kim and his family drove down is normally blocked by a locked metal gate, but it was open the night they got lost because a vandal had cut the lock, according to authorities. They were reported missing on November 30, 2006.

Search and rescue teams looked for the family along the many coastal highways from Southern Oregon's Curry County to Roseburg, Oregon in Douglas County, after it was found that the family used their credit card at a Denny's restaurant in the area. The Kims' friends, many in the technology and entertainment industries, raised public awareness of the disappearance and requested help finding the family.

The Kims survived for several days in their car, keeping it warm by running the engine. When the 2005 Saab 9-2X station wagon eventually ran out of gas, they began burning dried wood, magazines and car tires, to stay warm. On the morning of December 2, James set out to look for help, wearing tennis shoes, a jacket, and light clothing. He believed the nearest town (Galice) was located four miles away after studying a map with his wife. In reality, the distance was 15 miles.[4] He promised to turn back at 1 p.m. if he failed to find anyone, but never returned.[5]

Kati Kim and her two children were found alive by John Rachor, a helicopter pilot who volunteered for the rescue. Rachor reports that he was led to the scene after seeing human footprints in the snow, which almost certainly belonged to James Kim. Rachor then radioed the Kim family position to others and soon, private helicopters hired by the Kim family landed to rescue the family. Kati was waving an umbrella to which she had attached reflective tape, in order to attract the attention of the helicopter. The three were airlifted out of the area and transferred by AMR ambulance [6] to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. They were only successfully located because a signal transmitted from the family's cell phone had been picked up by a cellular tower.[7] The signal was emitted when the Kim family's cell phone received a text message.[8] Authorities credit an employee of Oregon cell provider Edge Wireless with creating computer models to triangulate the phone location.[9]

Death

CNET's tribute to Kim

Soon after the recovery of Kati Kim and her children, search and rescue teams followed James Kim's footprints back along the road for roughly five miles after which those prints left the road and led into the heavily wooded Big Windy Creek drainage area. The trackers who were searching for James Kim soon found an extra pair of pants Kim was carrying when he left his car in search of help. It is now believed that Kim may have been shedding his clothes in response to hypothermia and frostbite, which often leave their victims feeling overheated. [8]

Throughout Monday and Tuesday, as efforts to find Kim intensified, officials continued to act under the assumption that James Kim was alive, and initially interpreted the clothing items they found as trail markers left behind to indicate his location. At a press conference, Oregon search and rescue officials said that on Tuesday they had found a location in the Big Windy Creek drainage where two gray long-sleeve shirts, a red short-sleeve t-shirt, one wool sock, a girl's blue skirt, and pieces of an Oregon state map had been placed. The items were later positively identified by the Kim family as items James took with him when he was last seen. About the items, Oregon officials stated, "These were placed with our belief that little signs are being left by James for anyone that may be trying to find him so that they can continue into the area that he's continuing to move in." [10]

On Wednesday, December 6, within hours of Oregon officials announcing their intentions to drop care packages along with a letter from Kim's father,[11] James Kim's body was found in Big Windy Creek.[12][13] Lying on his back in one to two feet of icy water, he was fully clothed and had been carrying a backpack which contained his ID among other miscellaneous items.[14] Autopsy results released the next day revealed that Kim had died due to hypothermia and that his body had suffered no incapacitating physical injuries. Though no definite time of death could be established, the Deputy State Medical Examiner who performed the autopsy guessed that Kim had died roughly two days after leaving the vehicle.[15][16][17]

He traveled a total of approximately 10.24 miles looking for help. Half of this distance was on the main road and the other half was in the treacherous mountain and river pass areas. He basically made a u-turn.[18] [3] He was ultimately found roughly one mile from his vehicle as the crow flies, and about a mile from Black Bar Lodge, a boating outpost that was vacant at the time but was stocked with food items.[19][20]

It was originally reported in an MSNBC article that searchers were able to come in direct contact with James Kim on December 5th, 2006. However, rescue workers were unable to lower a medic to James Kim's location.[8] This article, however, may have been misreported as later articles on MSNBC as well as other news sources only mention searchers finding James Kim's body. [21]

Following news of his death, CNET released an online tribute to Kim.[22] CNET also released a tribute e-mail to those with CNET memberships.

Template:Wikinews2

Map controversy

The Kim tragedy produced rumors that the Kims had used online mapping to find their route.[23]

Later reports derived from police interviews with Kati Kim indicate that the Kims did not consult their laptop computers, but used a paper road map.[24] According to the Oregon State Police, the map they used was issued by the state of Oregon.[25]

During the hunt for the Kims, a number of computer users tested programs such as Google Maps and MapQuest to map the shortest route between the two towns. The programs reportedly listed Bear Camp Road, where the Kims got stuck, as the most efficient shortcut. However, it is rarely used even by local residents due to its difficult terrain and often inclement weather.[26] Furthermore, there are three yellow road signs that state: Bear Camp Rd. May be blocked by snowdrifts (see image right)

File:BEARCP225c.jpg
Bear Camp Rd. Signage

The online mapping programs have apparently changed. As of December 7, 2006, maps indicate the drive along Interstate 5 and Oregon State Route 42 to U.S. Highway 101 as the preferred route between Roseburg and Gold Beach.

Outdoor writer Tom Stienstra of the San Francisco Chronicle, although he did not blame the Kims for their ordeal, wrote a list of safety tips in which he recommended that travelers always ask local residents for road information.[27]

Timeline

  • Nov 25 (Saturday), 9:00pm - The Kim family finish dinner at a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg, Oregon and get back on Interstate 5. After missing the turnoff for Oregon Route 42 westward to Gold Beach, Oregon they decide to drive 55 miles south and reach U.S. 101 via Bear Camp Road.
  • Nov 25 (Saturday), 10:30pm - Inclement weather and deteriorating driving conditions detour the Kim family. Driving back to retrace their path, they accidentally turn onto a spur road where they drive 15 miles into closed backroads.
  • Nov 26 (Sunday), 1:30am - Kims cell phone captures reception of Edge Wireless network's cell tower for few seconds and briefly registers with the tower.[28]
  • Nov 26 (Sunday), 2:00am - The Kim family stop their car to sleep. During the night, snowfall traps the car.
  • Nov 30 (Thursday) - Co-workers of James Kim file a missing persons report with the San Francisco Police Department.[29]
  • Dec 2 (Saturday), 7:45am - After 6 days of surviving in the car, James builds a fire for his family and then leaves on foot in the hopes of finding a road on which to flag down a vehicle.[30] He was to return at 1:00PM, but did not make it back.
  • Dec 4 (Monday), 1:45pm - Helicopter finds Kati Kim and her two daughters. No word on James Kim's whereabouts.
  • Dec 6 (Wednesday), 2:00pm - Body of James Kim found dead and retrieved.

Quotes

About James Kim

  • "Based on what the searchers were describing, the terrain they were working in, it seems superhuman to me that he was able to cover that amount of distance given what he had, and also given that he had been nine days in a car prior to leaving it." [4]
  • "James Kim did nothing wrong. He was trying to save his family...He thought that if he could get to the river, he could make it to the town.” [5]
  • "He was very motivated...We were having trouble in there. He traveled a long distance.” [6]
  • "They [James and Kati] thought the Hanna police was just about four miles away, when in reality, it was probably more like 15 miles away..James thought he could reach it in a couple of hours ... he was trying to get to a road, to flag down some help." [7]
  • "I admire his effort, I truly do," Jackson County Sheriff Mike Winters said. "He has a lot of intestinal fortitude. He comes from the city without a lot of outdoors experience, and he was thinking on his feet, he was very meticulous... He had a strong will to survive." [8]

References

  1. ^ Julia Prodis Sulek (December 7, 2006). "Deputy says Kim may have been dead only hours when found". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  2. ^ "Mr. Spencer H. Kim". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  3. ^ Michelle Meyers and Leslie Katz (December 2, 2006). "Air, ground search for missing CNET editor continues". CNet. Retrieved 2006-12-05.
  4. ^ Peter Fimrite, Marisa Lagos (December 7, 2006). "Kims thought they were only 4 miles from help". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ David R. Anderson (December 4, 2006). "Update: Mom, daughters found; dad still missing". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2006-12-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Video: Rescuers find Kim family members; search continues for editor". CNet Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
  7. ^ "Searchers keep up the hunt for CNET editor in rugged terrain". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  8. ^ a b c "Distraught rescue crews come up short". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  9. ^ "Missing Father Kim Found Dead In Oregon". CBS. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  10. ^ "Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  11. ^ "Video: Searchers: We will find James Kim". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  12. ^ Alex Johnson, Alan Boyle (2006-12-06). "Distraught rescue crews come up just short". MSNBC.
  13. ^ "Body of Missing San Francisco Dad Found in Oregon". Fox News. 2006-12-06.
  14. ^ "James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  15. ^ Jeff Barnard (2006-12-07). "Autopsy: Missing man died of hypothermia". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  16. ^ "James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  17. ^ "Road Kims took was unlocked by vandal, officials say". CNN. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  18. ^ "Father died of hypothermia". MSNBC. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  19. ^ "James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  20. ^ "Road Kims took was unlocked by vandal, officials say". CNN. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  21. ^ "Distraught rescue crews come up just short". MSNBC. Retrieved 2006-12-07.
  22. ^ "In Memoriam: James Kim, 1971-2006 video". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-06.
  23. ^ Leslie Fulbright (December 08, 2006). "Maps: Internet travel directions need to be checked carefully". The San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  24. ^ Jeff Barnard (December 6, 2006). "Missing San Francisco man found dead". Associated Press. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Update: Information Discussed During December 6th 10:00 a.m. Media Briefing on Search for James Kim". Oregon State Police. December 6, 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) 6) Clarification: Wilsonville Chamber of Commerce – information provided earlier of a tip that a person at the chamber of commerce building provided a map and recommended travel routes has been determined to not be credible. Interviews with Kati Kim revealed they chose this route after looking at a State of Oregon map.
  26. ^ Jason van Debergen and Marisa Lagos (December 6, 2006). "Missing dad leaving clothing and map markers". The San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Tom Stienstra (December 5, 2006). "Preparation is key to safety when planning a road trip". The San Francisco Chronicle. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |access date= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Sarah Jane Tribble (December, 6, 2006). "Wireless workers engineer rescue". The Mercury News. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ San Francisco Police Department (November 30, 2006). "SFPD:Missing Persons:Kim Family". San Francisco Police Department. Retrieved 2006-12-08.
  30. ^ "James Kim died of hypothermia, autopsy reveals". CNET Networks. Retrieved 2006-12-08.

See also

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