CNET's editor found DEAD

[sasquatch]

"A San Francisco man who got stranded in the snowy wilderness with his family nearly two weeks ago was found dead Wednesday in a mountain creek, authorities said.

Kim, 35, was a senior editor for the technology media company CNET Networks Inc. He and his family had been missing since Nov. 25.

A pair of pants Kim had been wearing was found in the wilderness on Tuesday, raising fears that he had become delirious from the cold. Searchers were emotional as they broke the news at temporary headquarters near the mountain road the Kim family took as they headed home to San Francisco from a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Earlier, 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 daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months. They were released from a hospital in Grants Pass on Tuesday.

After leaving Portland on Interstate 5, search leaders said, the couple missed a turnoff that leads to the coast and took a wrong turn on a twisty mountain road they chose as an alternative.

Stuck, they used their car heater until they 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."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061206/ap_on_re_us/missing_family

http://news.com.com/James+Kims+body+found/2100-1028_3-6141498.html

http://www.jamesandkati.com/

 

[Keynes]

Wow, my prayers go out to the family.

 

[Duckinla]

Tragic. I was following the story a bit on the news. I was really struck by the magnitude of the decision he had to make when he left his family to go look for help. He did a difficult and brave thing. I wish it would have worked out for him.

 

[JuniperPark]

I just don't get how someone can drive on a small dirt road for hours, deep into the mountains, in a snowstorm, with 2 kids, passing no one, seeing no homes/buildings/signs, and NOT realize he was doing something very, very wrong. I've read numerous stories about this and I have yet to see this explained in any reasonable manner. When the story first came out I assumed it had to be people who didn't read/speak English, but apparently not.

 

[Domain Jedi]

I was really hoping that he would be found alive. What a sad outcome.

 

[sasquatch]

His decision to venture out of their car/shelter and look for help proved to be deadly. In hindsight, an avid outdoorsman might have pulled it off, but not someone of his background.

What's the cellphone coverage like in that area?

A lesson to be learned in this tragedy.

 

[Duckinla]

I just don't get how someone can drive on a small dirt road for hours, deep into the mountains, in a snowstorm, with 2 kids, passing no one, seeing no homes/buildings/signs, and NOT realize he was doing something very, very wrong.

I think it goes something like this:
1) You're so scared you did something wrong that you just stick with the hope that you were right.

Or, more often

2) You're worried that you will turn around, go all the way back and then find out you were on the right path in the first place.

 

[Theo]

Truly tragic. The mother saved the kids' lives by breastfeeding them. I used to watch his mp3 player video reviews on C|Net.

 

[Seraphim]

I'm from Oregon, and have spent a lot of time white water rafting down in the area where they got lost. There has to be some information gaps in the news story, because I just don't understand how they would not have noticed how rugged those roads are down there, and hence make the connection they aren't widely traveled, or suitable for family sedans. Perhaps the snow on the ground hid this fact, because I don't think it could have been missed otherwise. Another thing, if they had the resources and energy to remove and burn the tires, you would think that they may have stood a chance of getting the car unstuck. Seems there is a lot to the story we will never know. Anyways, my heart goes out to the family, what a tragedy.

 

[JuniperPark]

I glad to see I'm not the only one suspicious about this story. I hope they're checking to see if there were some life insurance policies issued recently, and who it was that drive them a couple hundred miles into the middle of nothing.

 

[fischermx]

This is the place where the car was found:
Car

This is the place where the body was found:
Body

Now, where do you guess he took the wrong road ?
I guess it was here:
Lost the road

Look at this coordinates on Google Earth so you can look closely. The path is split in way that you might think the right hand road is the main road however, it was lead to the depth mountains. The left hand road, narrower, was the Nf-23 road he needed to keep it.

What do you think?

 

[Theo]

URLs are broken.

 

[fischermx]

Broken URLs fixed.

Some more. There were a sort of lodge near where the body was found:
Lodge

It was just about 1.2 miles distance, that's sad

Updated all important places are here:

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/download.php?Number=709344

You'll need Google Earth for viewing this.

 

[sasquatch]

"The family left a Denny's restaurant in Roseburg, Ore., at about 9 p.m. on Saturday, November 25, intending to travel west to their destination of Gold Beach, Ore., via state Highway 42, Hastings said. They missed the interchange, however, and after looking at an Oregon map decided to travel west via Bear Camp Road. The map warns that the road might be closed during the winter.

At about 10:30 p.m., driving in rain and snow, and after noticing signs warning of bad weather conditions, they decided to turn back. James Kim was forced to drive backward, and at one point drove with his door open so he could see behind him, Hastings said. They attempted multiple times to call for help using cell phones, but that area has scant reception, he said.

The family ended up, probably unintentionally, on a spur road, Hastings said, on which they drove about 15 miles. Around 2 a.m., with concerns about running out of gas, they decided to stop for the night and remain sheltered in the car.

They stayed in the car all day Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, amid rain and snow, occasionally starting the car for warmth. On Wednesday, they used magazines and wet driftwood to build a fire. The wood was hard to get because it was frozen, Hastings said, so they tried to thaw it and keep it dry by putting it under the car.

On Thursday, the Kims burned the spare tire, and on Friday burned the remainder of their tires for heat and to signal for help. On that day they also heard a helicopter, Hastings said, but didn't know where it was.

As the week progressed, the Kims studied a map and determined that the town of Galice, Ore., was likely about 4 miles away. In reality, Hastings said, it was about 15 miles away.

On Saturday morning, James Kim built a fire for his family and left on foot at about 7:45 a.m. in hopes of reaching a road where he could flag down vehicles for help, Hastings said. He didn't return."

http://news.com.com/James+Kim+died+of+hypothermia,+autopsy+reveals/2100-1028_3-6141886.html