James Weston Higginbotham (above left, long hair) has been missing since May 29. An Alabama family of four went to Japan for vacation.
A vacation in Japan has turned into a nightmare for an Alabama family as their 20-year-old son, an Auburn University student, has been missing since May 29. The family said they would not leave Japan without Weston.
Weston is an experienced traveler and no one resisted when he went off alone after a fight with his mother. Nancy Higginbotham, the mother, was using ChatGPT in her travel itinerary, and Weston, the naturalist, told her how much natural resources such use of AI would require. But then Weston’s phone location went off.“It’s not unusual for Weston to vent himself by going into the woods and just exploring. That’s his happy place,” Higginbotham told CNN.
“I think…he’s in the woods, and he got lost.”The search for Weston in Japan now includes Japanese police, civilian volunteers and the FBI.The family of four began their Japan adventure on May 22 to celebrate Weston’s 18-year-old brother’s high school graduation.“While we were visiting a temple, Weston took the train,” Higginbotham said. “We’re texting him saying, ‘Hey, where are you?’ You know, ‘What are you doing?'” The family watched through the app as Weston stopped by a few stores before hopping back on the train — and then his location was shut down.
The family says it doesn’t fit Weston’s personality
Weston’s family says it was unsettling and abnormal for Weston because he had always shared his location with his family. By 2 a.m., with no sign of Weston, the family reported him missing to local authorities. His mother said he had about 10,000 Japanese yen (about $62.50) and a phone with 34% battery before losing his location.Weston left Kyoto Station alone at 6 p.m. that day, according to local police. He was last seen around 8 p.m
In CCTV footage, he is walking alone in the city’s Yamashina district – on a path that leads to a hiking trail in the nearby forest. Soon after, a tornado approached Kyoto, but police said it had likely already moved off the mountain by then.The family distributed a flier in Japanese about the missing person so locals could help search for Weston. Auburn University is aware of Weston’s disappearance and the school has reached out to the family to offer support, according to a statement to the university’s student newspaper, the Auburn Plainsman.
