KYOTO - The family of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan, announced on June 7th that he has been found dead after a volunteer search-and-rescue team located his body in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, bringing a week-long multinational search to a tragic end.
The Higginbotham family had traveled from Alabama to Japan to celebrate the high school graduation of their youngest son, but the trip turned into a tragedy when Weston, the family's oldest son, went missing on May 29th while they were in the Kyoto area.
According to U.S. media reports citing family members, Weston became separated from his parents after an argument with his mother over the environmental impact of her use of artificial intelligence technology. His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, later said he turned off his location sharing after the argument.
Police were able to track some of his movements through CCTV footage, which reportedly showed that he stopped at Yamashina Station in Kyoto. His family had also been able to follow his movements for a time through the Life360 location-sharing app, which showed him near a river and later boarding a train before his phone location suddenly went dark.
The search for Higginbotham involved more than 100 police officers, K-9 units and helicopters. On June 7th, the family also launched its own search effort with the help of local residents and a hired search-and-rescue team, focusing on mountainous terrain outside Kyoto because Weston loved nature, walking trails and hiking.
"He just loves to go outside and go for a walk at a trail or go for a small hike," Nancy Higginbotham said in an interview before her son's body was found. "No matter what time of day, that's just fun to him."
In a statement posted on Facebook after the discovery, Nancy Higginbotham confirmed that her son had been found dead.
"Our family is heartbroken to share that Weston was found deceased by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto," she wrote. "The grief we feel is impossible to put into words."
The family had publicly shared Weston's story and spoken to media outlets in the hope of finding him alive. Earlier in the search, relatives had expressed hope that he could survive difficult conditions, describing him as someone who knew how to endure outdoors.
Nancy Higginbotham thanked people in the United States, Japan and around the world who had shared information, prayed for the family, offered encouragement and helped with the search.
"We are forever grateful for the time we had with our sweet, precious Weston, but cannot begin to understand what life without him will be like," she wrote.
"We are deeply grateful to the countless people across the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston's story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement, and helped in the search efforts. The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives."
The family has requested privacy as they begin to mourn.
"We shared our story here and in the media in the hope of finding Weston. We now ask for privacy as we begin to navigate this unimaginable loss," Nancy Higginbotham wrote. "Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. We will need them now more than ever. We will always love you, Weston."
Auburn University also issued a statement following the discovery, with its president describing Higginbotham as a "valued member of the Auburn family" and saying the university mourns his loss.
Japanese authorities have not released the cause of death, and the circumstances surrounding the case remain under investigation.
Source: KIRO 7 News
