KING5.com

Kati and James Kim have two children - Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months.

MERLIN, Ore. - The body of James Kim of San Francisco was found in Oregon's Coast Range shortly after noon, Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police said.

Searchers were emotional as they broke the news at temporary headquarters near the mountain road the Kim family took on Nov. 25 as they headed home from a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest.

Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said the body was found in the Big Windy Creek drainage at 12:03 p.m. about a half-mile from the Rogue River. The body was lifted out by helicopter. An exact cause of death will not be known until next week, police said.

"I'm crushed," Anderson said of the discovery.

The terrain where Kim was found is considered one of the most rugged in the world and many were amazed that Kim managed to get as far down as he did. He bushwhacked five miles down the steep canyon, covering about eight miles through rough country, but ending up about a mile as the crow flies from the car.

The family had taken a wrong turn Nov. 25 and gotten lost. The 35-year-old San Francisco man had set out on foot five days ago to find help for his stranded family.

Kim's wife, Kati. and two daughters were found safe Monday at their car, stuck in the snow on a remote road. They left a hospital in Grants Pass Tuesday and were described as in good condition. They have now requested privacy to mourn.

Hastings praised Kim's family, which had financed helicopter searches and even repositioned a satellite to help .

"They have been true champions throughout this whole ordeal," Hastings said.

The Kim family issued this statement Wednesday afternoon through family friend Scott Nelson Windels:

"The friends and community of the Kim family are deeply saddened by the news received today about James Kim. We want to send out our utmost thanks to the Search and Rescue teams who risked their lives in the efforts to bring James back to us, they are true heroes to risk their own lives for a stranger. As friends we know that we did everything we could to help in the search for the Kim family, which is our only comfort now. We thank the Oregon authorities, the media, and everyone who sent us their thoughts and prayers for their support through this very difficult time. Please continue to keep Kati, Penelope, Sabine and the rest of their family in your thoughts."

KING

James Kim, with Kati and Penelope

Clues helped searchers

Search crews were optimistic Wednesday after clothing and bits of an Oregon map turned up Tuesday in a drainage in which search and rescue teams sought Kim, who has been missing since Saturday.

The clothing, which was wet, included two gray sweat shirts, a red T-shirt, a sock and a blue girl's skirt, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Patrol. Family members said Kim had taken the items when he left.

"They were laid out in a well defined area, in a pattern," Hastings said. The pattern led officers to believe that "little signs are being left by James."

Searchers also found a pair of gray pants that Kim's family says he was wearing them over a pair of jeans.

The discovery of the pants indicated Kim suffered severe hypothermia, said Dr. Jon Jui, professor of emergency medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. Jui said severe hypothermia causes people to become disoriented and have a false sense of warmth, which can lead to them disrobing.

"This is a bad sign," he said.

About 100 rescue workers and four helicopters searched for Kim, following his footprints down a drainage called Big Windy Creek that leads to the Rogue River.

Eighteen care packages with flares, clothing, MRE's and a letter from Kim's family, were dropped Wednesday in areas they thought Kim would be. The letter will not be released publicly. It was described it as a heartfelt plea from his loved ones, for Kim to hang in there until he is rescued.

Wrong turns

The Kims had been missing since Nov. 25, when they left Portland headed home after a holiday trip to the Pacific Northwest.

On Monday, searchers in a helicopter spotted Kati Kim, 30, waving an umbrella at about 1:45 p.m. Her daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabine, 7 months, were airlifted to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.

Sabine was admitted to the hospital, and her mother and sister stayed in her room overnight. She was discharged Tuesday morning, and the three left in a gray sedan.

(AP Photo/Grants Pass Daily Courier, Jim Krois)

Kati Kim holds her daughter, seven-month old, Sabine Kim, in the back of a helicopter after they and her other daughter, Penelope, 4, were rescued from a remote area of southern Oregon, Monday, Dec. 4, 2006. They were airlifted to Three Rivers Community Hospital in Grants Pass.

The three are in very good condition, said Linda Rankin, vice president for patient care.

After leaving Portland, search leaders said, the couple missed a turnoff to state Highway 42 through the range and then took a wrong turn on the twisty mountain Bear Camp Road they chose as an alternative.

The complicated road network is commonly used by whitewater rafters on the Rogue River or as a shortcut to the coast in the summer, but it is not plowed in the winter and can be impassable.

Stuck, the couple ran the heater in their Saab until they ran out of gas. Then they burned the tires to stay warm and attract attention. With only a few jars of baby food and limited supplies, Kati Kim nursed her children.

The family told their rescuers that James Kim left his family about 7:45 a.m. Saturday in search of help and went the way they had come, saying he would return by 1 p.m. if he found none. He did not return.

Kim was missing in an area at about 3,000 feet above sea level. Temperatures overnight were in the 20s and low 30s, Anderson said.

Oregon State Police

Helicopters searching the area near where the car was found.

The Kims were vacationing in Seattle, saw friends in Portland and headed toward a coastal resort on their way home. They were last seen in Roseburg on Nov. 25.

The Kims had been active in the San Francisco area. James Kim wrote reviews about digital music and audio devices for CNET Networks Inc.'s Web site and on a blog. He also appeared on the company's video segments and on television. Kati Kim ran a pair of boutiques the couple owned.

Survival expert: If you're lost, stay put

A survival instructor says if you are lost in the wilderness, don't rely too much on technology and stay in one place. If you move, he said, the odds of being found diminish.

Michael Strong, a wilderness survival instructor and director of the University of Oregon's Outdoor Pursuits Program, says people often think gadgets such as cell phones, the Internet and on-board global positioning devices will get them out of jams.

He says such devices don't take into account local conditions, such as the snow that stranded the Kim family for more than a week.

He says the most important thing he teaches students in his eight-week course is letting someone else know your travel plans.

Once stuck or lost, Strong says people should stay put.