Colleagues and readers mourn News.com editor

Reporters and readers have joined family and friends in mourning CNET News.com senior editor James Kim, who was found dead in snowy wilderness on Wednesday, two weeks after becoming stranded with his young family.

Kim, 35, who was in charge of digital audio coverage, went missing on 25 November when the car he was travelling in with wife Kati, 30, and daughters Penelope, 4, and Sabin, 7 months, became stuck on a remote road in southwestern Oregon.

The four had been returning to San Francisco from a Thanksgiving roadtrip in the region but were forced to keep warm by running the car's engine and burning its tyres until, eight days into the horror and with fuel having run dry, Kim set out on foot to seek help.

His family was airlifted, safe and well, two days later after being spotted by a helicopter hired by relatives, prompting hopeful local police to claim "a good day".

But trackers searching for the journalist found a pair of Kim's trousers, thought to have been left as a marker, and yesterday discovered his body in a canyon, less than a mile from the vehicle, after what one rescuer said was a "superhuman" eight-mile trek.

"This has been an incredibly heartwrenching experience for all involved," CNET CEO Neil Ashe told News.com. "I know that I speak for everyone here at CNET Networks when I say that James Kim was a hero. We will miss him greatly."

Kim was formerly a presenter on the defunct US TechTV channel. He presented podcasts and video blogs and he wrote the Crave blog for his latest employer. He was also writing a book and ran a clothes shop.

Throughout the ordeal, News.com staff faced the difficult task of reporting on their missing colleague, streaming live police press conferences and urging readers to contribute any information on Kim's whereabouts. A condolence book opened on the site has received thousands of comments.

Friends and family had also started their own website to keep readers informed and to issue pleas for information, while well-wishers have also flocked to sites like YouTube. In an obituary, News.com colleagues remembered Kim as a "hyperachiever" who always put his family first.

From London, CNET Networks also operates a UK edition of News.com as well as its ZDNet UK and Silicon.com properties.

Free daily newsletter

If you like our news and feature articles, you can sign up to receive our free daily (Mon-Fri) email newsletter (mobile friendly).