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(Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli) 'We are so close' Pants found, might belong to missing man; expert says he fears hypothermia scenario By JEFF BARNARD The Associated Press MERLIN — Search teams who tracked a creek at the bottom of a rugged Oregon canyon Tuesday found pants they believe belong to a San Francisco man who set out three days earlier seeking help for his stranded family. "This is frustrating. We are so close," Josephine County Undersheriff Brian Anderson said Tuesday evening. "There are people pouring their heart and soul into this. We are not going to quit until we find him." James Kim, 35, remained missing a day after his wife and two daughters were rescued at their car, stuck in the snow on a remote road in the Coast Range. Searchers Tuesday afternoon found a pair of gray pants matching the description of those Kim was wearing when he was last seen, said Lt. Gregg Hastings of the Oregon State Police. The pants were found about a mile down the drainage from where Kim left the road. "It could be a sign he's trying to indicate the path he was going," Hastings said. "It may be a sign, it may not." The discovery could signal that 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. Advertisement But Anderson said Kim apparently was wearing the gray pants over a pair of jeans. He said searchers are trying to recover another item he did not identify that may belong to the missing man. About 100 rescue workers and four helicopters were searching for Kim, following his footprints down a drainage called Big Windy Creek that leads to the Rogue River. Searchers were withdrawing from the lower canyon area Tuesday night because darkness heightened the risk. Anderson said searchers had scoured the area near the Black Bar Lodge, a popular summer spot along the Rogue that is closed in winter. They found no sign of him there. Anderson said he does not know why Kim left the road and went into the drainage area. "I hope to have the opportunity to ask why he did that," he said. "What they were doing is they'd lose his track, they'd cross the stream to see if they could pick it up on the other side and then have to go back," said Anderson. "So they're going through the water." Anderson said Kim, a senior editor for a technology media company, was wearing tennis shoes, pants and a heavy coat, but he was not wearing a hat. He would likely be within about five miles of the car. "He did have two lighters with him," Anderson said. "They survived nine days out there. They're pretty resourceful." 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. 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. 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. The weather in the region has been clear and dry for several days. Precipitation was forecast for Friday, said Jay Stockton of the National Weather Service in Medford. Temperatures should drop below freezing in the valleys but stay in the high 40s on ridges, which includes most of Bear Creek Road, he said. The complicated road network in the area 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. 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. ------ On the Net: http:jamesandkati.com/ Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Men's Clothing Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Discount Hotel Reservations Send Flowers Casinos Canada Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Online poker at AbsolutePoker.com