Autopsy: James Kim Died Of Hypothermia

Lost in the snowy wilderness and seeking help for his stranded family, James Kim probably traveled more than 10 miles on foot before he died, believing he could find a nearby town, authorities said Thursday.

An autopsy released Thursday showed that he died alone of hypothermia. His body was found in a creek's shallow water, about a mile away from his family's car.

"James Kim did nothing wrong. He was trying to save his family," said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police said a Thursday news conference. "He thought that if he could get to the river, he could make it to the town."

Kim thought the nearby town of Galice was only 4 miles distant, although it was really 15 miles away, Hastings said.

After scouring the mountains of southern Oregon for days, a search helicopter hired by his family spotted Kim's body midday Wednesday. He was found fully clothed on his back in Big Windy Creek near the Rogue River, authorities said.

When Kim's body was found in a rugged gorge in the Oregon coastal range, it ended a search that had become personal for many of those working on it, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone.

That was clear when Undersheriff Brian Anderson stepped to the microphones with bad news.

"At 12:03 today, the body of James Kim was located down in the big windy creek ... uhhhh," and Anderson walked away, tearful.

Dr. James Olson, a deputy state medical examiner, conducted the autopsy Thursday morning and was unable to determine the exact time of death, Hastings said.

Kim's wife, Kati, and two daughters were rescued Monday when they were spotted by a search helicopter as they were leaving the car to find help themselves. With only baby food and a few snacks in the car, Kati Kim had nursed her two daughters to keep them alive during the ordeal.

Kim, 35, was a senior editor for the technology media company CNET Networks Inc. He and his family had been missing since Nov. 25. They were heading home to San Francisco after a family vacation in the Pacific Northwest, and apparently got stuck in the snow after making a wrong turn.

Hastings said Kati told officers it snowed hard several days while the family was stuck, and the family heard helicopters at least twice.

"Kati and the kids are in good condition as it relates to the ordeal that they've been through," he said.

[tom3605-2009]

To get to Gold Beach on the coastal highway from where they were, they would have to get off IH 5 and use a secondary road such as route 38 or 42, crossing over even more treacherous terrain and going through mostly unhabited areas. They evidently missed the turnoff to one of those roads and got on yet a smaller mountain road that are usually not used and stayed unplowed during the winter.

Traveling through mountainous, snowy areas during the winter and yet having no emergency items in the car was another mistake. Tire chains, a shovel, flares, dry rations (energy bars, powdered milk, crackers...), drinking water, extra batteries for cell phones, bright orange sheets to get visible from the air etc...are some of the items that should have been in the car for emergency use.

Finally, against the natural impulse to strike out to seek help after staying put for a week and saw no signs of the rescuers, Mr. Kim should have nevertheless stayed with his family in the car and wait it out some more rather than venturing out in the elements all by himself. It's a lot easier to spot a car on the road than a lone person in the woods.

As we mourn this brave and good man and grieve for and with his beautiful family, we must not fail to learn that lesson of caution and safety during this traveling holiday season.

[tom3605-2009]

James Kim of course did nothing wrong morally and in fact acted heroically to try to save his family at his own risk. However, he chose the wrong strategy and it cost him his life and dreprived his family of a good husband and a father.

First of all, the Kims should not have driven over a snowy mountain terrain so late at night, not with the two small children in the car. They should have stayed the night at Roseburg (on Interestate 5) where they were spotted having dinner at around 8 PM that evening, even if that meant wasting a night's payment at a resort in Gold Beach down the coast where they had a reservation. (to be continued)