An Alabama student who went missing while on a trip to Japan with his family has been found dead in a “mountainous area on the outskirts of Kyoto,” his mother announced.
Missing Auburn University student’s body found in Japan, mother says
A student who went missing while traveling with his family in Japan has been found dead in a “mountainous area on the outskirts of Kyoto,” his mother said.
An Alabama student who went missing in Japan while traveling with his family has been found dead, his mother announced in a social media post on Saturday, June 6th. It had been over a week since I last saw her.
James “Weston” Higginbotham was found by a volunteer search and rescue team in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, Japan, said his mother, Nancy Higginbotham.
“Words cannot express the sadness we are feeling,” she said. “We are forever grateful for the time we spent with our sweet and precious Weston, but we cannot understand what life would be like without him.”
The 20-year-old Auburn University student was last seen on May 29 while on a family trip to celebrate her brother’s high school graduation, Nancy Higginbotham previously told USA TODAY. The family was scheduled to leave Japan on June 4, but extended their trip after Higginbotham went missing.
Local police dispatched helicopters and volunteer search teams to the hilly area, and a search operation began. Nancy Higginbotham previously said her son may have been suffering mentally and was an “experienced hiker”.
Nancy Higginbotham said, “We are deeply grateful to the countless people in the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston’s story, prayed for his family, offered encouragement, and helped with the search efforts. The outpouring of kindness and support helped us get through the darkest days of our lives.”
What happened in the Auburn student disappearance case?
Higginbotham was last seen with his family at around 6:30pm local time on May 29, after they had eaten at a restaurant shortly after arriving in Kyoto. The two had been traveling together for six days at that point and decided to have some space, Nancy Higginbotham told USA TODAY.
She said he may have been traumatized by the long trip and arguments. Ms Higginbotham stayed at her family’s hotel while she went to see the temple with her husband and second son.
Higginbotham’s mother said in a Facebook post that police determined that Higginbotham had taken a train to a station in the Yamashina area and lost cell phone signal around 8:30 p.m. that day. At that point, he reportedly headed for a hiking trail.
Local authorities are also participating in the search, and Alabama Representatives Mike Shaw and Susan DuBose said they are in contact with the Honorary Consul General of Japan in Birmingham, Alabama, who reports to the Japanese Consulate General in Atlanta. Nancy Higginbotham shared an update on the search on social media, saying the search involved very steep and rugged terrain.
Higginbotham’s cause of death had not been disclosed as of June 6th.
Family of missing student in Japan asks for help in search
An Alabama student went missing while on a trip to Japan with his family and is now appealing to the public for clues as to where he went.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Contributors: Saleen Martin and Anthony Thompson, USA TODAY
