CNET Editor's body found by Searchers (Update #941)

CNET TV ^ | 12-04-06 | From CNET TV

[sockmonkey]

Wife and two daughters of senior editor James Kim found in Oregon; search is still on for James Kim, who left the car on foot two days ago.

The wife and daughters of missing CNET senior editor James Kim have been found alive and airlifted to a local hospital, authorities announced at a press conference in Merlin, Ore., Monday afternoon.

James Kim left the car on snowshoes two days ago to seek help and has not been found, the official said. The search for him continues.

According to the official speaking at the news conference, the conditions of Kati, Penelope and Sabine are not yet known. More details are expected at a press conference at 5 p.m. PST, which CNET will stream live.

Kati Kim reportedly flagged down a helicopter rented by families of the missing persons.

After searches in Oregon's Curry and Douglas counties, new information on missing CNET senior editor James Kim and his family narrowed the search back to the Bear Camp area in Josephine County, according to reports Monday.

A cell phone tower received a signal from one of the family's cell phones at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday near Glendale, but officials say the signal is only an indicator the family could have been within 26 miles of Glendale at that time, according to a report in The Oregonian.

[surfer]

That is probably very true...it would have been even easier to walk down the other road less than a mile and found Bear Lake Lodge with everything he needed. He wouldn't be able to call from there but at least he would have secure facility to operate from.

I also think this time of year it must be pretty competitive with the bears and treking any more than you need to I would think to be not a good thing.

[woodbutcher]

ut Finley was a believer. He was convinced that God would save him. For nine weeks he sat in his truck, meticulously marking off the days and writing in his diary

---

I can not resist. I just have to tell a joke I heard years ago.

This black man got caught in a flood. Water got higher and higher and he eventually ended up on the roof of his house, completely surrounded by water.

Older black people are very religious, so he knew the Lord would not let anything bad happen to him.

So he is sitting there on the roof and some guys come by in a boat and ask him if he needs help. "No, no", he says. "The Lord is looking after me"

The water gets a little higher after they leave, but he is not afraid. The Lord will look after him.

In a little while, a helicopter comes along and they yell on the loudspeaker, asking him if he needs help. He waves them off. The Lord will look after him.

Well, the water gets worse and worse and finally it washed the house away and he drowns.

So he gets to heaven and the first thing he does is ask the Lord "O Lord, why did you let me drown? I was so sure you would take care of me?"

The Lord replies "You fool! I sent a boat for you and you turned him down, so I sent a helicopter for you and you turned him down. I did all I could."

Sometimes you have to know when it is time to take whatever chance you have.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

Ah, but the point is he obviously didn't know the lodge was there because he was lost. In the 21st Century U.S., using much higher ground to try to get a cell signal should be intuitively obvious and would have taken at most a couple hours.

[surfer]

Stuff like this really makes you angry...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,235409,00.html

Vandals had cut the lock on the gate blocking that road. If the lock had not been cut the Kim's would have never gone down that road...

I like to hear the naysayers now say...well it was really stupid of James not to know the lock was cut off...some of you people are really unbelievable.

How can anyone blame the Kim's for what happened to them? This is truly a tragedy.

[surfer]

BTW... USOTOS that last post wasn't geared toward you...you have made some good suggestions on here...I just replied to your last post to me... :)

[tubebender]

If he didn't have a charger in his car his cell phones may have been dead. And I think I read that the car's battery was dead. My guess is they wore their fingers out trying to call out...

[tubebender]

Thanks for all the links Surfer. Some new information there but at this stage and so much wrong information prior I ask myself, are these bits any more true than what we heard for a week.

The Saab had four wheel drive...
James encountered a bear in the road...
Kati bundled up the kids and stuck out just prior to being found...
James died of hypothermia two days earlier...
James may not have died of hypothermia two days earlier...


There were other new bits but I didn't copy them

[woodbutcher]

USA Today had an excellent story in today's issue, about half a page, in which they traced his steps.

The people quoted were the people who really tracked him down and found him.

Professionals.

I highly recommend that anyone who is really interested, get a copy and read it.

It will clear a lot of the crap out of your head.

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

his cell phones may have been dead

They were found by pinging the cellphone from the tower. They were just too low on the hill to get a contant connection for a call. 1300 feet higher and the signal would have been strong.

[Tolsti]

Vandals that damage safety items, so that even the potential of harm is there, should be executed on the spot. So sick and tired of all the nonsense we put up with in this country.

[tubebender]

Techs found one return ping for two text messages to the Kims at 2:30 AM. I don't remember when it was. They may have still been mobil in the car...

[Terriergal]

I guess that would be up to you, whether it's clear or not. Same place as everyone else. :-)

[surfer]

Something needs to be done. They should be charged with something serious and they should pay dearly.

[soccermom]

What on earth are you talking about? Are you sure you intended that comment for me?

[surfer]

lol...u should know me better than that. I was firing one out there to ole jacquej. Aye yi yi.

Sorry if I infuriated you :). Please don't run me down with your minivan.

[surfer]

BTW...this is for everyone out here.

This looks like a decent gadget for vehicle safety.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tools/8e0c/

New BodyGard 5-1 emergency tool
1) automatic glass cutter
2) safety-blade seat cutter
3) sonic alarm
4) flashing red distress light
5) led flashlight

Just needs a compass and waterproof match holder it would be pretty nifty.

[oldenuff2no]

I don't go to LA. When I do travel it is with a GPS and at least two of the weapons on my permit. I stay out of places where I can't take care of me and mine. I keep food and water in every vehicle I own. I live at least 30 minutes from the nearest cop. I spend each and every day with the full knowledge that I have to take care of what ever situation comes my way and I'm careful not to put myself and my family in a bad situation.
I wouldn't take off into the middle of a swamp with my family in a canoe without someone there who knew what was going on. I wouldn't take my family for a camel ride in the middle of the desert without proper help either.
I'm a retired Ranger with years of combat experience and a lifetime lived outdoors. It always comes down to the rule of 3's.

[Mjaye]

I don't go to LA. When I do travel it is with a GPS and at least two of the weapons on my permit. I stay out of places where I can't take care of me and mine....(etc., etc.)<<<<<<<<<

That's good, you don't worry about events ever overtaking you, it appears. I've seen plenty of complacent folks get tripped up thinking they have all the angles covered. Surely the things you listed are wise things to do, but bad things happen to people everyday who thought they were in good shape. What counts is how people react when the chips are down. Mr. Kim did everything humanly possible to save his family, which obviously put him at risk. He did much more than many would have done.

Newsflash: Gang members and other assorted thugs are not just indigenous to Los Angeles, they are spreading out all over the country. You are not automatically safe from them because you avoid Los Angeles, Detroit or Chicago. They are everywhere, small towns, big towns, and in between towns. It's not a question of you staying out of their places, they'll come to yours.

And don't assume a CCW will immunize you against what they bring with them, it will help give you piece of mind, but you won't have it in your hand 24/7. And the new breed of gang banger is mobile, so you can't just avoid their neighborhood. MS 13 goes wherever they want, for example, so hopefully you are well versed on spotting them. Good luck.

[oldenuff2no]

I find this comment to be very interesting. I teach survival skills to kids and my son is right now learning more information and practicing new techniques so he can act as a junior instructor/leader. All of this in a 4H program.
Some of his Christmas present this year will be his personal survival equipment for hunting and packing. We have already practiced with each and every item in the pack so that if he ever needs to use the equipment he will know how and know when. Having packed horses and mules for a couple of decades and outfitted my own camps for hunters the bear situation that some of you are suggesting I find to be highly questionable. Black Bears are the biggest chickens in the forest except when a sow has little cubs with her and that is not this time of the year. A bear can't see worth a hoot, but their hearing and sense of smell are fantastic. Mr Kim was not sneaking along through the forest and would have been detected by the bear before he even knew the bear was there. The bear would not have attacked him but would have run like his tail was on fire. I have taken bear with rifle, black powder, handguns, and archery gear so save the bear stories. Some folks in here have been watching too many Disney movies. After 10 years of SAR I came to the point that I could not handle it anymore. Too many of the searches turned into recovery operations. Before you begin to make judgments about my compassion you may need to figure out where my strong feelings come from. A few years ago My son got lost with some other adults. These adults were family members from Sacramento. They were lost for 13 hours. I about killed two horses and went through 4 different dogs before I found them. The only reason they didn't end up spending at least one long cold night alone in the wilderness is because my then 8 year old son insisted that they start doing things right. He knew I would be coming for him and he insisted that they get somewhere I could find them and stay put. They had wandered over 6 miles into the back side of Lassen National Park where there are no trails or roads. We got back to the truck at 2AM with only a sliver of a moon the big dipper and the north star. The mountains are my world and the world I've been teaching my son about all of his life. Mr Kim went through hell doing what he thought would save his family and most will always consider him to be a hero. What he thought was wrong and he will always be a dead hero. I would much rather that he had been rescued than recovered.

[oldenuff2no]

"Newsflash: Gang members and other assorted thugs are not just indigenous to Los Angeles, they are spreading out all over the country. You are not automatically safe from them because you avoid Los Angeles, Detroit or Chicago. They are everywhere, small towns, big towns, and in between towns. It's not a question of you staying out of their places, they'll come to yours."


I don't assume anything when it comes to the safety of myself and/or my family. We are in an area that has pot growers hidden throughout the foothills and mountains. These gardens are maintained and guarded by armed illegal gang members.
We find two or three a month and drop a dime on them.
I agree with you, they are nasty people who are capable of doing much harm. They got my respect but I keep riding and hunting and they keep going to jail.
I travel the mountains with my horses mules and big dogs. There are so many noses and ears with me that nothing gets close to us that isn't detected. That is not an accident!

Some people still don't get it. When your out there all by yourself no one is going to be coming too soon and your safety and welfare are in your own hands. When you blow it there are no excuses you either get it done or it goes south on you.
Good people screw up all the time. It sounds like Mr Kim was a great guy but he was in over his head, he wasn't prepared and he didn't make good decisions.