Breaking: Body of CNET editor James Kim found? Update: Confirmed
posted at 3:21 pm on December 6, 2006 by Allahpundit
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I haven’t been following this but others have. According to Fox, Oregon police flying overhead in a helicopter have spotted a body below in the area they’re searching. No other details yet.
Update: The body’s face down. He left them a trail of clothes to find him; temperatures at night have been been below freezing this week. He’s been missing since November 25th.
Update: The cops say it’s him. One of them’s in tears.
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That is sad news, if so. It just goes to show you that you truly don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. A simple drive home could turn disasterous in an instant.
Enoxo on December 6, 2006 at 3:29 PM
:(
One Angry Christian on December 6, 2006 at 3:32 PM
Trying to find more news. That report says he may still be alive. Is there a report saying he’s dead?
Gregor on December 6, 2006 at 3:38 PM
I hope to God that he is alive.
voiceofreason on December 6, 2006 at 3:39 PM
I haven’t seen anything saying whether he is dead or alive.
vcferlita on December 6, 2006 at 3:43 PM
I’m truly sorry that he didn’t make it. To his credit, he and his family managed to survive 9 days before he went for help. God bless him.
EF on December 6, 2006 at 3:45 PM
If he was removing clothes, my guess is that hypothermia probably got to him. Odds are pretty good that he is gone. This is very sad indeed. If he had just stayed with the car, he would most likely be alive. :( But he was very brave and loved his family so much, I bet he couldn’t sit there and do nothing.
DakRoland on December 6, 2006 at 3:48 PM
This is indeed sad news.
I will pray for him and his family.
BobK on December 6, 2006 at 3:53 PM
Anytime you’re stranded like this, you should stay with your car. The chances of you getting rescured are much greater, as the Kim family learned to their despair. My thoughts and prayers go out to them.
dalewalt on December 6, 2006 at 3:53 PM
my prayers to his family
Defector01 on December 6, 2006 at 3:53 PM
Is that right? Gosh.
But he broke the first rule for that situation: Stay where you are and let help come to you.
thegreatbeast on December 6, 2006 at 4:01 PM
Very sad. Prayers to his family and co-workers at CNET.
vcferlita on December 6, 2006 at 4:06 PM
Just saw on Fox, they found his body. So sad. Mrs.737 and I were praying for him. God bless his family.
Tony737 on December 6, 2006 at 4:14 PM
His poor family. My prayers to them. :(
NTWR on December 6, 2006 at 4:18 PM
Local news has been covering James Kim’s disappearance since they first went missing. When last night’s 11 o’clock news reported finding some of his clothing, they mentioned it could have been caused by hypothermia.
While it’s good to know the rest of his family lived, it’s sad that he’s gone. My condolences to the Kim family.
Dinsdale Piranha on December 6, 2006 at 4:20 PM
“Local” for me, btw, is the much-maligned SF Bay Area (I live in San Jose).
Dinsdale Piranha on December 6, 2006 at 4:21 PM
Oh no.
What a decent man. I have enjoyed his video reviews and he had a great personality.
He is a man who died trying to save his family at ultimate personal risk and great personal discomfort.
His death is as courageous and noble as any. His friends and family will be sad, but should be tremendously proud.
Christoph on December 6, 2006 at 4:22 PM
That’s right. STAY WHERE YOU ARE. That is the first rule I teach my kids. I didnt take them hiking until they were five, and had a whistle and a water bottle.
I feel so soooooo sad for that woman. A four year old and a 7month old….pitiful.
seejanemom on December 6, 2006 at 4:22 PM
May God Bless him and welcom him home, and give comfort to his family.
PinkyBigglesworth on December 6, 2006 at 4:28 PM
Christoph, very well said.
voiceofreason on December 6, 2006 at 4:35 PM
Christoph said exactly what I was thinking.
bj1126 on December 6, 2006 at 4:38 PM
It’s hard to tell what a parent would do, or I would do, in the same situation. He waited many days with no sign of help, before he left. He died a very courageous death for a great cause – to save his family.
The hypothermia theory could be correct because in the condition, one feels extreme heat and discomfort. On the other hand, that was a 2nd pair of pants and he might have used it, along with any items he had, to leave a pattern, to be found.
A tragedy all around and a great reminder to apply more joye-de-vivre now, gripe less and live more.
Also, a reminder that bad things happen to good people. How to explain this to the children some day?
Entelechy on December 6, 2006 at 4:39 PM
That’s so sad. He was very brave to go looking for help–he had no way to know if anyone would ever come.
I watch the TV reality show “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” all the time, and when I first heard about the Kims, I had high hopes that their story would appear on that show one day with a happy ending. I just knew the father would be a hero who survived against all odds and all that. He’s still a hero for what he did. I’m so sad for him and his family.
My family and I are going to make kits for our cars with blankets, flashlights, lighters, bottled water, granola bars, etc. It certainly can’t hurt, and as this story and others go to show, it could save your family’s lives one day.
aero on December 6, 2006 at 4:40 PM
Christoph, “tremendously proud” is not words that should come to mind here. It is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to his wife and especially his two small girls, but he did little to be proud of in this situation, and a lot that nearly wiped out his entire family.
Bob Owens on December 6, 2006 at 4:44 PM
For those interested in why he probably started shedding clothes…
Once hypothermia gets past a certain point, the person starts “feeling” very “hot” and will take off their clothes.
When I worked for the state “coroner’s” office, we would get in at least one case like this a year. Sometimes they would be found sitting in their underwear with clothes neatly folded beside them.
Catseye on December 6, 2006 at 4:45 PM
Bob Owens said:
That’s horrible! One of the worst parts of all this is that he died not knowing that his family was safe. It must have been agonizing for him. Do you think that’s what he wanted?
aero on December 6, 2006 at 4:48 PM
Unfortunate!
Living here in Oregon I know those mountains!
Not good sense in taking a family unprepared over shortcuts through that kind of terrain. If you miss a turn, backtrack, don’t take shortcuts unprepared into the uknown with so much at stake.
Having said that, I am saddened to hear the news of Kim’s death. Sounds like a nice and loving family!
I wished the outcome would have been different for them!
Bearhopi on December 6, 2006 at 4:53 PM
I live very near where this happened. This is SO sad. I feel terrible for his poor family. As the mom of two little ones I can empathize.
Lesson #1 of driving in the Oregon wilderness: Stay on the highways. If the weather doesn’t get you, bigfoot will.
rightallthetime on December 6, 2006 at 5:09 PM
I went camping in those mountains this summer and was surprised by how nice the logging roads were. The logging roads there are nicer than the main highways in CA.
That said, they were confusing even with our detailed maps and winded all around the mountains. I’m sure they can’t be maintained in the wintertime- those roads go on forever.
What a tragedy.
NTWR on December 6, 2006 at 5:16 PM
I never heard my local news ask the question “why didn’t they have a cell phone?” It’s hard to believe now adays. Two adults at least two cell phones usually. Or do the phones not work in the mountians? I’m in flat land so I don’t know>
Drtuddle on December 6, 2006 at 5:49 PM
Not too smart, shoulda had enough sense not to take the worst possible route and/or had prepared for getting stuck e.g. have emergency supplies, GPS handheld (he was a big tech guy).
Big City dwellers should just stay in the city, it’s a really dangerous world once you leave the city limits.
Neo on December 6, 2006 at 5:50 PM
Drtuddle said:
One article I read said they triangulated the wife and kids’ location using pings on towers from the Kims’ failed cell phone calls. So, even though the calls didn’t connect, their cell phones did save the wife and kids’ lives.
Neo said:
Actually, authorities are praising Kim and his wife for their ingenuity and resourcefulness in staying alive as long as they did and for making it so that the wife and kids could be rescued (i.e. burning the tires, breastfeeding both kids, putting reflective tape on an umbrella to wave at helicopters, etc.)
aero on December 6, 2006 at 6:05 PM
Jeesh! The guy’s family hasn’t even had a chance to grief and some of you are trashing him already. Really, give it a rest.
EF on December 6, 2006 at 6:15 PM
I saw (Fox I think) that his family said “He’s not an outdoorsman”.
I’m sorry for his family,but to take a logging road,this time of year,with no supplies,emergency equipment or detailed knowledge of the area,is asking for trouble.
1st rule if you’re stranded is “STAY WITH THE CAR!”.It’s shelter & even if it’s outta gas & cold so as to not show up on FLIR it’ll still make a helluva bright spot on radar.
I haven’t seen any reports on what they were driving,but I really get upset at companies like Subaru that make it seem like their cars can go anywhere,anytime.The “all season” tires they put on are nothing more than slightly more agressive street tires,able to handle up to an inch of snow on a paved road,but worthless on a logging road that’s got a foot of snow & sharp rocks that’ll take out those tires in a heartbeat.
Again,I’m sorry for his family,but he did something stupid by taking that road in the winter with an inadequate vehicle,then compounded it by doin’ the dumbest thing he could possibly do.
Frantic Freddie on December 6, 2006 at 7:21 PM
“Stay where you are and wait for help.”
This is usually good advice. And it is almost always the best thing for a young child who has gotten lost. Stay where you are and wait for an adult.
But like all good advice, it isn’t 100% applicable to every situation.
Consider Kim’s situation. They had already waited for NINE days in the winter. The car was out of fuel. They had already burned the tires for warmth and to signal for help. They had run out of food, and he had two infants who needed to be breast fed. The mother is probably going to start running out of milk if she keeps going hungry. And it is only getting colder.
Does this really seem like a situation where staying put is the best reaction? Staying put has already gotten them 9 days of suffering. And it is rapidly becoming critical. Will they survive another 9 days of this? Especially the babies?
So James Kim did what he though he had to do. He put his life on the line to protect his wife and babies. Unfortunatly, he did not survive. Now, in retrospect, perhaps things could have turned out better. But I don’t think this guy mad a silly, irrational choice. A tragic choice, but an understandable choice.
.
.
.
Has anybody read the book “Alive” about that plane of South Americans that crashed in the Andes? The survivors waited by the plane for weeks, finally having to resort to canibalism to survive. Finally, they equiped the strongest amongst them with every spare scrap of clothing and food (human flesh) with the mission of hiking out of the mountains and getting help.
They succeeded. They struggled through the snow passes and found help. And it is a good thing that they did. Because by this time, the search and rescue parties had long been called off. No one was looking for them anymore.
So in their case, just “staying where you are and waiting for help” would have led to them all slowly starving to death and dying of cold.
EFG on December 6, 2006 at 7:34 PM
From another report:
Damn.
Now that’s advice we all can use, Entelechy. My heart goes out to this poor family, while I’m also amazed that the 3 Kim ladies survived. If that ain’t a mixed bag, I don’t know what is.
Pablo on December 6, 2006 at 7:50 PM
EFG,
Right. I’d have done the same, knowing full well that it’s contrary to the common wisdom.
Pablo on December 6, 2006 at 7:52 PM
. . . not sorry enough to have the common decency to not bash the guy before the family has even had time to recover his body.
EF on December 6, 2006 at 7:53 PM
Very sad. May God bless them all.
As others have said, it’s hard to imagine staying put that long without losing hope in being found. Can’t blame the brave man for trying.
mikeyboss on December 6, 2006 at 8:23 PM
One of my favorite websites and blogs, http://www.myextralife.com and ExtraLife Radio, have been following this. I am so sad about this. Mr. Kim and his family were here in Portland before they disappeared. I’m glad his wife and kids are alright and I’m sure he’s glad that they’re fine. I wish I could go back in time and warn them. I was so close.
marianpaul on December 6, 2006 at 8:24 PM
The shooter family is praying for all of their family as well. These folks are brave, all of them.
As to some of the posts above, cell phones do NOT work throughtout most of the Rocky Mountains. Maybe you get service in 3% of that mountain forest area..thats my guess.
If you get more than a few miles (3-4) off the highway/main road, you will most likely NOT have service. Satellite phones yes, all others NO. The advertisements about calling for emergencies piss me off, and worry me. It’s just not true (unless your near a ski resort like vail or aspen). Go look at your cell carriers website map of their coverage, it only follows highways.
Plus, if you are not familiar with the Rocky Mountains, STAY ON THE HIGHWAY. So many of the side roads just dead end, and they do so suddenly. If you don’t have clothes, blankets, food , matches enough for everyone for three days, dont leave the main highway, esp. in fall/winter/spring.
No need for James Kim to have died in vain for us. Look into survival websites for home and your cars. Get and give some life saving items for Christmas (or other holiday) to your loved ones according to the region you live. You or yours just might need it someday, and once is enough.
shooter on December 6, 2006 at 8:35 PM
Good advice.
Other items that are easy to carry and could save your life? Compass, small mirror, bright-colored clothing or blanket, and a lighter. Doesn’t hurt to have candles and a couple of flares either.
May God’s grace cover this family.
CliffHanger on December 6, 2006 at 11:21 PM
From what little details is available on the news, it sounds like James Kim made a heroic effort to save his family, but he was a city slicker out of his element. He walked for miles but ended up back two miles from his starting point. It sounds like he got confused and turned around in the mountains. Discarding his clothes was a particularly big mistake. I doubt they were left as signals. There are plenty of ways to make signals in the woods. My guess is that he was trying to lighten his load. Back in the Civil War, it was common for soldiers to discard their gear as they walked to lighten their load: canteens, sleeping rolls, camp gear, etc. Maybe he got hot and tired during the day when he was constantly moving, then froze in the night.
It sounds like Kim took off cross country for help. That would not have been my choice. I would have followed the logging road back to the main road. They got stuck only three miles down the logging road. That’s not a far walk and every step brings you closer to possible contact with travellers who can help you. If you are stuck in the wilderness with no idea where you are, follow the water. Water leads to people. Kim walked off into the mountains instead climbing up instead of walking downhill. People are more likely to be downhill from you than uphill.
If you must go cross country, you can figure out north and south by the position of the sun. You know that in North America, the sun will rise in the southeast, will be roughly south at noon, and will set in the southwest. When you start walking, pick out a feature on the horizon and walk toward it. Your natural tendency is to walk in big circles, your right leg taking slightly longer strides than your left.
It wouldn’t hurt to have a few emergency supplies in a gym bag in the trunk. Go to the surplus store and pick up some MREs, some matches that light when wet, some candles, a folding shovel. You can use the shovel to dig your car out. A single candle will heat the interior of a car up enough to stop you from freezing. The best signalling device you can get is a small metal shaving mirror. If you reflect the sun off that mirror, any aircraft you can see can see that reflection. There isn’t anything natural that reflects the sun in the woods.
The Kims made the most important decision you can make in a survival situation: They decided to survive. Many people give up. One thing you can say about James Kim: He never gave up.
Tantor on December 7, 2006 at 2:59 AM
Shaving mirrors are very difficult, if not impossible, to aim at a moving target that may very well be miles away . If you’re going to go through the effort to get a mirror for signaling, you might as well get one that’s designed for the job, and learn how to use it. Hint: signaling mirrors have a hole in the center, and aiming them is not intuitive. The good thing is they’re very cheap, and some are quite durable. No emergency kit should be without one.
Hack Ptui on December 7, 2006 at 9:20 AM
I live south of those mountains, have hunted deer in the Big Windy drainage and I can tell you that there is no cell service there. The ping from the cell that helped triangulate Kati Kim’s location was from a temporary cell that the local Edge wireless office put up in response to the search.
Very tragic and my heart goes out to the families involved.
Please save the arm chair quarterbacking for a few days, people.
opusrex on December 7, 2006 at 11:41 AM
EFG on December 6, 2006 at 7:34 PM
EFG, I didn’t read the book but an extensive news article, back in Romania. I remember being shocked and thinking that I would have eaten that airplane seat-cover stuffing and boiled flesh too. Some people did/would and some didn’t/wouldn’t. It’s what Tantor wrote about ‘wanting to survive’, or not.
Thank you to all who contribured survival tips.
One item which occurs…is it possible that after 9 days of starvation (they didn’t have hardly any food in the car) Mr. Kim was already so weak that he had little capacity to reason too much. Starving doesn’t only weaken the physical.
Also, a reminder – hyperthermia-befallen people shed their clothes because they feel extremely hot and uncomfortable before they die. Also delirious. Some arrange the clothes neatly and don’t realize at all what they’re doing by undressing.
In the abstract, I just wish Mr. Kim could have known that his family made it.
What a sad story, after Thanksgiving and ahead of Christmas.
Entelechy on December 7, 2006 at 12:42 PM
Although I disagree with his decision making, he was a brave man. RIP.
PS: Compact Discs make excellent signalling mirrors with a hole in the center.
shooten on December 7, 2006 at 2:40 PM
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