Family of missing man pleads for search help
The family of a missing 38-year-old Markham man is pleading for his return and scouring Algonquin Park, his last known location.
Eugene Kim was last seen around 7 a.m. Monday when he dropped off his children, aged 2 and 6, at school.
His brother-in-law Scott Lim said Kim told his wife, Christine, that he had an important business meeting at work to close a deal and that he’d be home late. Kim works a sales representative, responsible for selling corporate wireless solutions.
At around 9 p.m. that night, his wife received a text message from him saying that he got the deal and would be home in an hour. More than two hours later, Kim texted his wife again to say he couldn’t talk right now, Lim said.
The texts were traced to a phone tower in the North Bay area close to Algonquin Park.
Lim said the disappearance is completely out of character for Kim, who has a regular morning routine that includes getting the kids ready for school and dropping them off.
“It just doesn’t add up that he wouldn’t check in with his family for three days,” Lim said. “This is completely out of the ordinary for Eugene Kim.”
Kim was last seen driving a black 2010 Nissan Rogue with the licence plate BJJD 108.
Lim said his brother-in-law has no history of mental illness, no health problems, no addictions they’re aware of and no connections to people known to police.
Kim, who works for a wireless company, called in sick to work Monday. Lim said his employer didn’t know about the business deal Kim had told his family about.
Lim also said Kim bought a onenight camping permit for Algonquin Park at Voyager Outfitters on Monday afternoon. The family reported Kim missing Wednesday and have been searching the area with the help of park rangers Wednesday and Thursday. So far, they’ve come up empty-handed, Lim said.
He said police have told him there’s no indication of foul play, but the family is concerned because the move is completely out of character.
York Region police Const. Laura Nicolle said they’re working with the Ontario Provincial Police to find a last known location for Kim.
She also said they’ve received tips about Kim’s whereabouts, including one that suggested he wasn’t alone in his vehicle when he was near the park, but they haven’t been able to confirm it yet.