James Kim search continues. Tuesday 11:00 pm update

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Family and Friends Website

Cnet update

latest updates from this blog 

11pm local news reports James is still missing with search scaled down for the night though I understand thermal equipped helicopter is flying the area.

I think the 5 mile search area assumes James got stuck following the Big Windy Creek drainage down to the river. I don’t know why they assume he did not make it to the River and out from there but I’m unfamiliar with that specific area’s terrain which may be so steep he could not have made it out and up or downriver from Big Windy.
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Darkness has fallen here in Southern Oregon and James Kim is still missing in the Rogue River Wilderness west of Merlin and Galice, Oregon. Approximately 100 searchers combed the drainage of Big Windy Creek Area today. A pair of pants was found near the creek. Reports say he had taken an extra pair of pants and may have left these as a sign. Another object was sited but police won’t identify it until they have it in hand.

Police indicated they did not know why he walked into the drainage and seemed confused about this but I’d suggest clearly he was looking for Rogue River which would for James be the only key navigation feature in the area. I certainly hope they search the Rogue River banks carefully, especially downriver at least to Half Moon Bar Lodge (closed but caretakers there and he would not have likely passed this point).

Map of the Wild Section of the Rogue River

Google Map of the Rogue River Area where James Kim is expected to be.

Flash Alerts from Oregon State Police – note photo links at bottom of post

This helicopter report from KGW news:

05:50 PM PST on Tuesday, December 5, 2006

By FRANK MUNGEAM, kgw.com Staff A helicopter with the Oregon Army National Guard was scheduled to continue searching Tuesday night for James Kim, missing since Thanksgiving weekend in Southern Oregon.

An OH-58 Kiowa helicopter equipped with the Forward Looking Infrared System planned to scour the mountainous area overnight.

A second aircraft, a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, was en route to its standby location at the Medford Airport, according to ONG spokesperson Kay Fristad. The Blackhawk is a medevac helicopter used for rescue operations and is equipped with a crew that includes flight medics, crew chief and two pilots. According to Fristad, the team is highly skilled in hoist operations, patient stabilization, and transport.

Crews are camped out waiting for daybreak.

My current thinking is that it’s very important to search the south bank of the river all the way down to Half Moon Bar Lodge. It seems logical to me that he would have followed the river downriver, knowing it would eventually lead to safety. In fact the original Gold Beach destination of the Kims was TuTuTun Lodge which is right on the Rogue river (though many days from Windy Creek, but James would not have known how far upriver he was).

I called the Half Moon Bar Lodge folks a few hours ago and learned that they are closed but there are caretakers there, so if James made it that far we’d have heard. Paradise lodge is on the other side of the river. A bad scenario is that he saw that lodge and tried to cross over the river which would be very dangerous. This is a wilderness area and there are no residences or even shelters that I know of between Black Bar Lodge (near Windy Creek but which presumably he missed) and Half Moon Bar, a distance of about 20 miles by river.

James Kim Update as of 3:30 pm Tuesday.

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Family and Friends Website

I’m reviewing news items now. James Kim is still missing and I understand they think he’s still in the Big Windy Creek Drainage area near Horseshoe Bend / Black Bar of the Rogue River in the Rogue River Wilderness area west of Galice, Oregon.

Reports here at KGW Northwest news and here at Medford Mail Tribune say searchers found a pair of James’ pants today and continue to track him, thinking he’s probably within 5 miles of where he left the car and family on Saturday morning to find help.

I’m confused at why searchers think he did not make it farther than five miles. Logically if he got to the Rogue River he might have continued along the south bank, knowing that the coast was 2-3 days of (difficult) hiking downriver and would have kept as fast a pace as possible to stay warm. He told Kati he’d return to the car but may have changed that plan realizing that if he’d be maximizing the chance of finding them by trying to hike out of the woods. Riskier for him but giving two chances to be found rather than just one.

There’s a trail on the north bank of the River but not the south bank, and hopefully he would not have tried to cross or run the river using a makeshift raft since there are several dangerous rapids downriver from here.

If James has made it farther than they think, and did stay on the So bank of the River to navigate, he’d probably see the Paradise Lodge which is down near Blossom Bar Rapids on the other side of the River but clearly visible from the south bank. A few miles (I think) down from there on the south bank is Half Moon Bar lodge. With no word yet I’m calling these lodges now to make sure they are fully aware of the situation.

James Kim still missing as of 10 am Tuesday Morning

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Kim Family Website is here

With Kati Kim and Children safe at a Grants Pass hospital the search has intensified for James Kim who is likely located in the Windy Creek Drainage south of the Rogue River in Southern Oregon. He left the Kim Family car on Saturday – some reports say he was wearing snowshoes – at 7:45am seeking help and was to return that day, but did not return. It’s reported that he was warmly dressed and had a lighter. Trackers followed his steps two miles from the car where he headed into the Windy Creek Drainage, a large area south of the Rogue River’s “Horseshoe Bend”. These areas up around the Rogue generally make for slow hiking so we can hope that James will be able to be tracked more easily.

The temperatures up there have been about 20s at night and 40’s in the daytime I think, though the news reported last night that the temps vary with elevation and actually it would be warmer up on the ridges in that area than in the valleys.

Tracking dogs and a National Guard heat seeking helicopter should be on the scene by now.

From the family website this morning:
12/5/06 – 7:30am – We’re up and hoping for good news, anxiously awaiting the success of the search and rescue team. I was able to speak with Kati briefly last night and she is in good spirits, worried and waiting, but joking with me in only the way that Kati can. The girls are in great shape. The Kim and Fleming’s primary concern now is to reunite the family. Kati’s mother, father and brother should be travelling to Oregon today to be with the family. I spoke off camera with one of the interviewers yesterday and we talked about how easy it is sometimes to be cynical in life, but how something like this really shows the true heart of people everywhere. There were so many times these few days where emails from people out there have had us crying and tearing up because of the sheer amount of love expressed – in many cases for a family they don’t even know. It has really kept us going and *IS* keeping us going. Thank you again for all of the support and to all of the people up in Oregon finding James right now.

12/4/06 – 11:30pm – Photos from our volunteer Becky Worley earlier today. Search Helicopter – Search and Rescue preparing for night searching.

KGW Report

Map of James Kim’s probable location.

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More and the latest news from this blog is here

Kim Family Website

Update: As of 11 pm Monday local news is reporting that James Kim is still missing. Searches will continue through the night for him. They will release no new information until 10am tomorrow.

Statement from Three Rivers Community Hospital Regarding Kati Kim Family – 12/04/06
As of 7:15 p.m., on December 4, 2006, Three Rivers Community Hospital can confirm that Kati kim and her children, Penelope and Sabine, are in good condition. Sabine Kim is being kept overnight for observation. Ms. Kim and her older daughter will be staying at the hospital with Sabine. At this point, the Kim family wishes not to be interviewed – they have no further information to share this evening. Ms. Kim’s emphasis is on the search and rescue team and their attempt to find her husband.

Here is a link to a Google map of James Kim’s most likely current location, the Big Windy Creek Drainage south of the Rogue River and north of the BLM road to Agness. Police reported today at 5:15pm that they believe he walked into the Windy Creek area after leaving his car 7:45 am on Saturday morning, seeking help. He was supposed to return later in the day according to reports of comments by Kati.

Click on “hybrid” and note the small blue line at top which is the Rogue River. Note the bend in the river, which is “Horseshoe Bend”. Big Windy Creek comes into the Rogue River south of Horseshoe Bend by I think a mile or so. James would NOT likely have attempted to cross the Rogue River but may have used it to navigate. The river flows west there.

This is along the “Wild” Section of the Rogue River. Even in summer this is accessible only by raft or airplane. Black Bar Lodge is in that area but I think it’s closed now.

Trackers will work 24 hours a day to find him now, so there is reason to be optimistic since he was warmly dressed and reports say he had a lighter with him.

5pm Update – Kati and kids in hospital in “good” condition. James still missing. 24 hour search for James continues.

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[Update Dec 6.   James Kim was found dead in the Windy Creek Drainage of the Rogue River Wilderness.   Updates here]

Kim Family Site

Merlin, Oregon 5:15pm Monday December 4:

News conference notes:

Kati and kids in hospital in “good condition” (he also said they are in “great condition” James is still missing.

Carson Helicopter found them. Edge Wireless guy’s computer model helped concentrate the search in the correct area.

Units now tracking Mr. Kim’s footprints into the Windy Creek Drainage area.

2 USFS officers will track footprints throughout the night.
“They’ll be out there all night and will work 24/7 until we bring him home”.

Windy Creek Drainage area is James’ probable location. National Guard Helicopter on the way. More searchers headed to area. Dog teams will arrive in the morning as will river searchers.

James is wearing jeans, tennis shoes, sweater and jacket and may have a couple of lighters and possibly a camera strobe.

Family found today in “very good shape”. They had minor provisions, ran car at night to stay warm. Started to burn tires to stay warm. Don’t know if they ran off road. Were not on main road. James left 7:45 Saturday Morning, up the road they came down. At some point he went over into Big Windy Creek Drainage where they hope to find him soon.

Kati and kids may have to spend the night as a precaution, but according to the officer speaking now they are in “great shape”. Cell phone info was critical to the find. “Searchers did a fantastic job”.

Kati Kim and children safe, James still missing

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GREAT NEWS from the  Kim Family website:

12/4/06 – 3:30pm – We are ecstatic here, but still very concerned for James Kim – *please* do not stop praying for and hoping for James. We are very confident that the searchers will find James! Please keep the good thoughts coming! -scott

12/4/06 – 3:15pm – Kati Kim and her two girls have been found, they are being helicoptered out to a hospital. James Kim went out on foot two days ago and the Search and Rescue team are now tracking him and hope to find him soon.

This posted at family site, still not at Oregon Police Department official site but appears to be a legitimate update from the Police.

News Release from: Oregon State Police
KIM FAMILY UPDATE #5: MOTHER AND CHILDREN LOCATED; FATHER STILL MISSING
Posted: December 4th, 2006 3:14 PM

On December 4, 2006 at approximately 1:45 p.m., Search & Rescue
officials were notified that a vehicle and a female waving an umbrella were
spotted by a helicopter search crew near the Rogue River in the area of
Bear Camp Viewpoint off Bear Camp Road. This location is near the Curry
/ Josephine County line in Josephine County.

The helicopter was able to land and verified that the mother and two
children were alive. The father reportedly was not with the vehicle.
Additional search crews and resources are being diverted to the area to
help try and locate the father.

The condition of the mother and children is not available but reports
are encouraging. They were flown to a separate location from where they
will be transported to a local hospital to be evaluated for treatment.

No further details are being released at this time.

A second media briefing will tentatively be held at 5:00 p.m. in Merlin
at the Josephine County Search & Rescue Headquarters.

Kim Family Search summary

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Family help website is here:
http://jamesandkati.com
Tip Line – (800) 452-7888
Outside of Oregon
503-375-3555 and 503-731-3030

[MOM and Kids are SAFE.   Looking for James in Bear Camp area as of 3pm Monday]

1:12 pm Monday, December 4, 2006.
Even here in Southern Oregon the news has been spotty on the search for the Kim family, which based on noon report at the family website now appears to be focusing on the area around Galice and Glendale in the mountains just east of Interstate 5. A news conference is scheduled for 3pm today in Merlin, Oregon.

A treacherous route through that area appears on many maps as a “shortcut” to the Kim’s Saturday night destination of TuTuTun lodge on the North Bank Road of Gold Beach, Oregon. Google map of the area here.

At 1:30 am on Saturday a cell phone tower with a range of 26 miles, in Glendale Oregon, recorded a “ping” from the Kim’s phone. This is very consistent with them being lost in between the Galice and Glendale area. Also consistent with the notion that the Kim’s tried to take the Merlin to Galice to Agness to Gold Beach route but were lost in logging roads.

The area is large and very remote, and even the main route through (Galice to Agness to Gold Beach) gets very little traffic and is NOT clear much of the winter. This main route was searched last week but my understanding is that now they are focusing on the areas north and West of Galice over to Glendale. The Stivers family was lost in this same area in March of 2006. They were rescued but only after walking part of the way out since searchers had underestimated how far they’d gone down a logging road.

Volunteering: Keep checking the family website for news but it appears to me at this time that authorities are not encouraging people to go to the Galice area to help search, worried that there could be more people lost.

An FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) has been set up at the Kim Family Site, though they say they may not be able to keep it updated too often. I heard from them that they are trying to coordinate a lot of activity over there.

The family site also has a Guest Book section to offer support to the family.

Oregon State Police News Bulletins

I’ll continue to post news here as I get it.

Kim Family search returns to Merlin-Galice and Glendale area

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Most recent updates 

Kim Family Search Site

Time of Cell hit was 1:30, which strongly indicates to me that they tried to take the Merlin to Galice to Gold Beach route and got lost in the woods west of Galice. Also possible is that they took the Wolf Creek route to Galice or (I think very unlikely) would be that they tried Powers and wound up heading east rather than south.

It appears the search of that Galice area will be completed by tonight, and hopefully they’ll be found holed up in the car, hungry but safe. There are hundreds if not thousands of miles of logging roads up there but I’m assuming the choppers can cover all that territory quickly.

—– earlier today —-
Here’s a new report of the Glendale cell hit, which means they were within 26 miles of Glendale which is off I-5 and north of Galice. The time would give a lot of insight into the route they took over to the coast. They left Roseburg at about 9pm and would have been within range of Glendale along I-5 at about 9:30-10pm. If the hit came much later, around midnight or so, it would seem to strongly indicate they took the Merlin Galice Road and probably missed the BLM turnoff to Agness and are in the area west of Galice.

It appears they are now searching extensively over there but I’m going to call and see if they need more people. The report above indicates they’ll have that area completed by tonight.

Update: Yikes, it’s not easy to contact the search to volunteer to help. State Police sent me to dispatch who took number and said they’ll find the right contact over at Josephine Search and Rescue. I left my name with them Saturday I think and still no word.

I’m not knocking them though – it may be that they can cover the area with professionals and don’t want to complicate things with a bunch of people driving around up there getting lost themselves. That’s understandable though it should be stated and all the info about this case should be posted at a centralized web place.

Kim Family update as of 11pm Sunday

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[Kati and Kids are safe, James still missing as of 11pm Monday] Updates here.

Updates Monday Morning:

Kim Family Search continues with about 20 (CNET report says 40) searchers and helicopters covering all possible routes to the Coast from Roseburg.

I’m confused about this but assuming the police have rejected as false the report of a Carene Williams of Bandon that she saw the family Nov 27 at Port Orford Price and Pride at 5:12pm. She posted a detailed note at the family site Jamesandkati.com I found a phone for her as part of a house for sale listing in Bandon, Oregon but it’s disconnected and no reply to my emails to her.

——–

Tonight KOBI Channel Five out of Medford reported several new items in a confusing way. I’ll hope to have better detail tomorrow.

3 choppers out of Merlin, hired by Kim’s (father?) continued to search over at the coast. The pilot referenced a report of the family asking for directions in Port Orford (about 30 miles N. of Gold Beach on Highway 101) but it sounded like this report was not clearly about the Kim family. The reporter went on to say Roseburg was the last sighting.

A cell phone “hit” on a tower near Glendale. Authorities appeared to believe this was not enough reason to have them refocus the search in that area.

This was posted by a guest on the www.jamesandkati.com site:

I saw the Kim family at Price and Pride Market on Monday Evening the 27th Of November at 5.12p.m.. I have reported this to the Hotline No. and man y police station s, there were two other sightings at Langlois and The Shell Gas Station in Port Orford. I am so sad and frustrated because I had contact with them and thought what A Wonderful, gracious family. Please God let them be found safe and sound. Carene Williams. cloudsntrees@msn.com

This note explains the reference on tonight’s news to a Port Orford sighting. If true they made it to the coast and spent nights there before going missing, though this seems odd with no cell phone or credit card use. I’m asking Carene via email for more details.

Update: no reply on the email to Carene. I found a number for her via Google search for a house she was selling in Bandon but phone disconnected.

New SF Chronicle Article

Still no sign of the Kim Family

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As of 5pm Sunday there still appears to be no sign of the missing Kim Family. I’ve been concerned about the treacherous area out of Merlin and was planning to go over tomorrow but I just spoke with a family friend who was just up there, (including a drive of the Wolf Creek I-5 cutoff over to the Merlin Galice road). Based on what he learned when he talked to search and rescue in that area (yesterday I think), it appears the Josephine
County search and rescue have spent a lot of time in the high country and feel it’s unlikely they made it up the Bear Camp Road or to the Agness Area. Helicopters were used as well as Snow Cat and 4WDs.

However, based on that talk I could not be sure that the lower country had been exhaustively searched – basically the area west of Merlin and up to the high country. If they failed to turn over to Agness they could have headed north into the many logging roads up there.

Here are the most recent stories about this: Oregonian (Portlands’ newspaper)
KATU TV News: