A family vacation to Japan ended in tragedy Saturday when a volunteer search-and-rescue team found the body of an Auburn University student in a forested mountain region after he had gone missing for a week.
James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, was discovered deceased near Kyoto, his family announced in a social media post.
The discovery was made after police reportedly concluded their search effort the day before.
“Our family is heartbroken,” the Birmingham, Alabama, family wrote in its post announcing the discovery. “The grief we feel is impossible to put into words.”
Police in Kyoto told CNN that Higginbotham was discovered around 2:35 p.m. Saturday by volunteers searching the mountains in the city’s Yamashina area.
What happened to Higginbotham remains a mystery, at least to the many Americans and local Japanese residents who have been following the case, which was covered by major broadcast networks and went viral on social media.
No foul play is suspected, police told the cable news network, but inexplicably said they will not disclose a cause of death.
Described as a “passionate naturalist,” the young man vanished May 29 after leaving his parents and brother to explore Kyoto on his own.
The young Higginbotham, who was “anti AI,” argued with his mother over her use of ChatGPT, which he believed depleted natural resources such as water, she said in an interview with CBS Mornings.
“It’s a sore subject with us,” she said.
Using an app called Life360 to track his movements, his parents saw he boarded a train and went to several stores. His location was turned off shortly after his family texted him to ask where he was headed.
That was not typical of him, his mother said.
Weston also reportedly was spotted on CCTV footage walking in the city’s Yamashina area, traveling a path that led to a hiking trail in the nearby woods.
Police decided on June 2 to search the forest area, but wind and heavy rain in the region hindered their search. That search, which involved K-9 tracking dogs, helicopters, and more than 100 police officers, concluded Friday.
On Saturday, the family hired their own search-and-rescue team and marshaled a group of local residents who volunteered to help, according to CBS Mornings.
The volunteer group reportedly focused on areas of the forest that police did not search.
Following the discovery of Weston’s body, the family expressed their gratitude to everyone who helped and supported them.
They wrote:
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. The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.
There was also no word from the family about a suspected or determined cause of death.
“We shared our story here and in the media in the hope of finding Weston,” the statement said. “We now ask for privacy as we begin to navigate this unimaginable loss.”
“We will always love you, Weston,” the statement concluded.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times true crime best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
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