The Kim Family Tragedy - Grants Pass, Oregon. Last weekend, Kati Kim and her two daughters revisited the Grants Pass area to pay tribute to the local folks who helped find them after they were missing in a snow storm for over a week in December 2006. Many of you may remember the Kim family story. Their ordeal began three years ago when a well-know San Francisco journalist, James Kim, took his family on a trip to Portland, Oregon for Thanksgiving. Traveling back toward home (San Francisco), the Kim family got lost taking a remote road (Bear Camp Rd) from Grants Pass to the Oregon coast.
Josephine County Search and Rescue tirelessly searched for the Kim family, along with friends and other volunteers. Kati Kim and her two daughters were discovered by helicopter pilot, John Rachor, near their vehicle just over one week into the ordeal. Unfortunately, James Kim was found dead from hypothermia just a short distance from the family vehicle, after he tried to walk out to find help for his family.
Today, the Kim family is doing well. Kati Kim, accompanied by her friends, visited Grants Pass, Oregon as a surprise guest at the Josephine County Search and Rescue Christmas party. Searchers were astonished and teary eyed by the surprise visit, as they recalled the emotional and tragic events on Bear Camp Road. Since this tragedy occurred, Josephine County has posted new signs deterring the public from using Bear Camp Road in the winter.
I remember this. I can only imagine the scene at the party when Kati walked in. That was a wonderful thing for her to do.
Jane ~ The tragic event was all over the news back in Dec. 06. I lived just a few short miles from the road the Kim's were stranded on. It's a dangerous area to travel any time of year!
What a terrible waste of a good man. There's surely danger in them thar hills.
I just saw this story on 2020 last night and was angered by the bureaucratic morass that led to the death of Mr. KIm. I suspect that 2020 only identified the tip of the iceberg of the problems surrounding this tragedy. My question is where is the Coroner's Inquest on this death? The purpose of such an inquest is to make recommendations that would prevent a similar occurence in Oregon or elsewher in the country.