The body of a 20-year-old U.S. college student who disappeared during a family vacation in Japan has been found in mountainous terrain outside Kyoto. Police say there are no signs of foul play and that his exact cause of death will not be made public.
James “Weston” Higginbotham, a junior studying biosystems engineering at Auburn University and a resident of Birmingham, Alabama, was last captured on CCTV on the night of May 29. The footage showed him walking alone in Kyoto’s Yamashina area toward a route that leads to local hiking trails.
Searchers found his body on June 6. Volunteers made the discovery after several days of extensive efforts involving around 50 police officers, K9 teams, and helicopters, with conditions made more difficult by rain and steep, slick ground following a typhoon.
His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, confirmed the news in a post shared on Facebook.
“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 added:
“The grief we feel is impossible to put into words. 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.”
The Higginbotham family had been traveling together since May 25 and arrived in Kyoto’s Yamashina Ward the same day Weston vanished.
They were monitoring his location using the Life360 app, but his phone stopped connecting to the network at 8:29pm on May 29, ending their ability to track him or reach him.
Nancy said disabling location services would have been unusual for him and stressed in an earlier plea that the situation was being taken seriously.
“He is not detained from a night out partying.
The police have confirmed this,”
She continued:
“He may be emotionally distressed, so this is urgent. We are living in our own hell.”
Nancy also said that before Weston went out on his own—while other family members visited a temple—there had been an argument. She later told NBC News it stemmed from her using ChatGPT during the trip.
“We try never to use it and I totally agree with him,” she said. “It was just a dumb, dumb argument to have.”
His parents described Weston as an experienced hiker with strong navigation skills, and they believed he may have been heading toward walking routes in the area when he disappeared. He was last seen on CCTV at about 8pm near an entrance to mountain paths.
Between the day he went missing and the discovery of his body, his parents issued video messages asking people in Japan to help circulate his photo and report any sightings.
“Every time that you guys repost on social media, it’s an opportunity for somebody in Japan to see it,”
His father, Keith, said. He added:
“Our ultimate goal is for people in Japan to see Weston’s face so that they can report back to us.”
A prayer vigil was held in Alabama on June 2.
Auburn University said it was aware of the disappearance and had contacted the family.
“Our thoughts are with Weston, his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,”
a university spokesperson said.
In her announcement, Nancy also thanked those who had supported the family during the search.
“The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives,”
She continued:
“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. We will always love you, Weston.”
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