Weston Higginbotham – James “Weston” Higginbotham, an Alabama student missing in Japan since May 29, was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, his mother said in a June 6 post. The family had extended its trip, and search efforts involved local police helicopters and volu
A week and more of searching ended in a grim discovery for an Alabama family: James “Weston” Higginbotham, missing in Japan while traveling with his family, has been found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, his mother said.
In a Saturday. June 6 social media post. Nancy Higginbotham said her son was found by a volunteer search-and-rescue team “in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto. ” Japan. “The grief we feel is impossible to put into words,” she wrote. “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.”.
Higginbotham, 20, was an Auburn University student. He was last seen on May 29 while his family was on a trip to celebrate his younger brother’s high school graduation. The family had planned to leave Japan on June 4, but extended the trip after he went missing.
Search efforts began after Higginbotham disappeared, with local police sending helicopters and volunteer search teams across hilly terrain around the area. In earlier comments, Nancy Higginbotham said her son may have been emotionally distressed and described him as an “experienced hiker.”
In her June 6 post, she also thanked the people who helped look for him. “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. ” Nancy Higginbotham wrote. “The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.”.
Weston Higginbotham James Weston Higginbotham Auburn University missing student Japan search Kyoto volunteer search and rescue Nancy Higginbotham Alabama student
Wait so they just… find him, like in the mountains? That’s awful.
I feel so bad for his mom, like how do you even process that. Also why did they stay longer than planned? I know families do weird stuff when they’re hoping, but still.
Maybe he got lost cuz people keep saying Japan is “safe” but mountain areas are still mountains. If he was an “experienced hiker” then I’m confused how it turns into days and helicopters.
Kyoto outside area sounds like it could’ve been something like a cult or a crime or one of those hidden trails, idk. Not saying that’s true but the timeline is weird, like last seen May 29 and then found June 6… that’s a long time to just be searching. I wish they’d explain what happened, even if they can’t.