James Weston Higginbotham (above left, long hair) has been missing since May 29
A 20-year-old Auburn University student from Alabama, who went missing during a family vacation in Japan, has been found dead, bringing a tragic end to a week-long search that attracted international attention.
James “Weston” Higginbotham, a third-year student studying biosystems engineering at Auburn University, was found in a mountainous area near Kyoto on June 6, according to his family. The authorities have not yet announced the cause of death.His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, on Saturday shared the news that his body had been found by a volunteer search and rescue group. “The sadness we feel is impossible to put into words,” Higginbotham wrote in a statement posted on Facebook.
“We are forever grateful for the time we had with our beautiful, precious Weston, but we cannot begin to understand what life would be like without him.”Weston was visiting Japan with his parents and younger brother as part of a trip to celebrate his brother’s high school graduation. He disappeared on May 29 after being separated from his family while they were living in the Kyoto area. Before Weston’s disappearance, he had an argument with his mother over excessive use of ChatGPT.
Weston, a naturalist, told his mother about the amount of water used by AI.According to reports, surveillance footage showed Weston arriving at Yamashina Station in Kyoto at around 8:15 pm on the day of his disappearance. His mobile phone reportedly lost connection to the network minutes later, preventing further location tracking. Investigators believe he may have been heading toward a nearby mountainous area popular with hikers.Japanese authorities launched a large-scale search operation involving police officers, helicopters and K9 units. Search teams combed the forests and mountain paths in the Yamashina area, but were unable to locate him during the early stages of the operation. The search was further complicated by difficult terrain and extreme weather conditions, including heavy rains associated with a regional storm system.As official search efforts continued, Weston’s parents, Nancy and Keith Higginbotham, traveled through the search area and asked for public assistance. Volunteers, local residents and supporters in both Japan and the United States helped spread information about the missing student. Auburn University also expressed its sympathy and concern for the family during the search.Authorities have not publicly disclosed the circumstances surrounding Weston’s death, and investigations are ongoing. Officials had not announced any wrongdoing as of Saturday.
