Story Published:
Dec 4, 2006 at 3:22 PM PST
Story Updated:
Apr 14, 2009 at 2:17 PM PST
GRANTS PASS, Ore. - A mother and her two children were found alive Monday, more than a week after the California family got stranded on a remote southern Oregon road while heading home after a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest. However, the father of the family remains missing after leaving two days ago on foot to try to get help.
James and Kati Kim, and their two young daughters, were heading to Gold Beach from Roseburg when they disappeared Nov. 25. James Kim is a senior editor for CNET Networks, Inc. and his family's disappearance sparked a large search effort, both by local authorities and by family members.
According to police, a helicopter spotted a woman waving an umbrella in the snow near the Rogue River in the area of Bear Camp Viewpoint off Bear Camp Road. When the helicopter landed, the searchers on board discovered that the woman was Kati Kim, and that she had her two children, Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, with her.
They were airlifted to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass. The three "are in good condition, Kim and the kids" Linda Rankin, vice president for patient care at the hospital, told The Associated Press.
"Mom arrived in an ambulance smiling and waving."
She said the children also seemed in good spirits. Rankin said the three likely would stay the night and were being given food and fluids in the emergency room.
Nursing supervisor Cynthia Russell said the mother nursed both children while they were lost and that there was no food or water in the car.
"They spoke of dad trying berries in the area, but they were not sure if they were poisonous," she said.
Sabine Kim will be admitted and the other two will stay overnight in the same room, she said.
The mother had chicken and mashed potatoes and a vegetable, the regular hospital diet, and Penelope had a hamburger and pickles, Russell said.
She said the mother asked for McDonald's fish filet, "and we're going to get it for her."
As for James Kim, searchers worked into the night trying to find him.
"Today has been a very good day," said Lt. Gregg Hastings, an Oregon State Police spokesman. "We know that right now there is still one person left to be located and that searchers from numerous agencies are out presently and will be out there throughout the night if they need to in order to find Mr. Kim. "
Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said James Kim left the family at 7:45 a.m. on Saturday and said he would return by 1 p.m. if he was unable to find help. However, he never came back.
Late Monday afternoon, searchers found James Kim's tracks about two miles from where his wife and kids were found. They were at 3,000 feet.
"Once Mrs. Kim was found, the helicopter from Jackson County was able to follow footprints up a road leading towards Bear Camp," said Anderson. "At some point, they were able to determine that he went over the side of the road into the Big Windy Creek drainage area and that's where the two deputies from Jackson County went over the edge and they're tracking his footprints right now.
"Tonight, we're bringing in a helicopter from the National Guard that has (heat-sensing equipment) to try to work that area over. We also have recycled our searchers from earlier today. They're headed back up there."
If Kim is not found Monday night, Anderson said they plan on bringing in dog teams and horse patrols Tuesday morning to search the area.
One question is whether James Kim is equipped to deal with cold weather. He was wearing blue jeans, a gray sweater, a green and brown jacket and tennis shoes. Anderson said Kim may also have a couple of lighters with him and possibly a strobe from his camera.
"We're treating him like he is alive," said Anderson. "The weather has been cold at night, but the family that was found today, they were in good shape, very good shape."
Anderson said the family survived on minor provisions in the car. They ran the car to keep warm, but when the gas ran out, they burned their tires for heat.
"During the night they just cuddled as a family to stay warm," Hastings said, adding that there was no sign of panic. He said there was only some baby food and a few snacks in the car.
"They are in remarkable shape for spending nine days out in the wilderness and in this type of weather conditions," said Anderson.
The Kim family was last seen in Roseburg on Nov. 25. They had previously stopped in Portland for lunch with a friend before heading south for a lodge in Gold Beach.
Anderson said the family turned onto a side road and became stuck in the snow, ran the car heater through the nights to stay warm.
Hastings said a detective interviewed Kati Kim, who said the family had intended to take Oregon 42 from Interstate 5 to the coast, a usual route, but missed the turnoff and found Bear Camp Road on the map. They decided to take it rather than turn back.
They took a wrong direction at a fork in the road and were 15 miles from Bear Camp Road when found.
Roads in the area are commonly used by whitewater rafters on the Rogue River in the summer but are not plowed in winter.
Searchers had been focusing their efforts on an area where the family's cell phone signal was detected. Josephine County police said the family's cell phone triggered a ping on a cell tower near Glendale on Nov. 26, making it the last registered sign of the family.
Family members had also flown in from across the country to conduct their own search, even going so far as to rent their own helicopter to search the vast forested area filled with windy roads, rugged terrain and spotty cell service.
The family spent time hanging up fliers, talking to local businesses and people along the route where the Kims were thought to have gone. They also posted stories online and videos on You Tube.
