Missing dad found in snow

2006-12-07 15:16

Merlin, Oregon - A man who struck out alone to find help for his family after their car got stuck on a snowy, remote road was found dead, bringing an end to what authorities called an extraordinary effort to stay alive.

Searchers had been following James Kim's footprints in the snow and searching by helicopter since his wife and two young daughters were rescued on Monday.

They also found pieces of his clothing, which they believed he left and arranged to give searchers clues to his whereabouts in Oregon's Coast Range.

Before rescue crews could drop packages with clothing, emergency gear and provisions, a search helicopter spotted Kim's body on Wednesday at the foot of the Big Windy Creek drainage, 800 metres from the Rogue River, where ground crews and helicopters had been searching for days.

"He was very motivated," said a tearful Undersheriff Brian Anderson. "We were having trouble in there. He travelled a long distance."

Investigators believe he travelled about 13km in total, and said there was no way he could have reached the car directly from where he was found.

The body was taken to Central Point for a post mortem.

Kim was a senior editor for the technology media company CNET Networks Inc. He and his family had been missing since November 25. They were heading home to San Francisco after a family vacation in the Pacific Northwest.

Kim's wife, Kati, 30, told officers that the couple made a wrong turn and became stuck in the snow. They used their car heater until they ran out of petrol, then burned tyres to stay warm and attract attention.

With only a few jars of baby food and limited supplies, Kati Kim nursed her daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months.

The key to finding Kati Kim and the two children, police said, was a "ping" from one of the family's cell phones that helped narrow down their location.

- AP