An American college student who went missing during a family vacation in Japan has been found dead by search-and-rescue volunteers, marking a tragic end to a frantic dayslong search across forested mountains.
James “Weston” Higginbotham, a 20-year-old junior at Auburn University and a passionate environmentalist, was traveling in the Kyoto area with his family when he vanished while exploring the city alone – shortly after having a disagreement with his mother over her use of AI to help with navigation, and the natural resources such a tool requires.
After authorities scaled back resources from the search, the family launched its own efforts to locate Weston with the help of local residents and a privately hired search-and-rescue group.
Here’s a timeline of the events leading up to the discovery of Weston’s body:
The family, hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, arrives in Japan to celebrate the high school graduation of Weston’s younger brother. They visit a number of cities, including Tokyo, Nikko and Takayama, before heading to Kyoto.
The family arrives in Kyoto, where they enjoy a meal and walk around town before heading to their hotel to rest and regroup. At some point, Weston clashes with his mother over her use of ChatGPT, and decides to explore Kyoto by himself while the rest of the family visits a nearby temple.
Using the Life360 app to track his location, his parents see Weston get on a train and visit several stores. They text him to ask where he is going, and his location is turned off shortly afterward, which was out of character for him, his mother said.
Around 6 p.m.: Weston leaves Kyoto Station alone, according to police.
Around 8 p.m.: In the last sighting of Weston, CCTV footage captured him walking alone in the Yamashina area, which lies on the border between Kyoto and Shiga prefectures. The area is mountainous and heavily forested, and the CCTV camera was on a path leading to hiking trails.
Around 2 a.m.: The family reports Weston missing to local authorities.
In the days that follow, Nancy begins a social media campaign to raise awareness and look for leads, including posting on Reddit and Facebook.
The information from CCTV cameras, captured on May 29, was not confirmed until June 2. Given the camera’s location near the trail and Weston’s love of hiking, police decided to search the forest, but were hindered by a storm that brought wind and heavy rain to the region that night.
Police begin searching the mountains near Yamashina with dozens of officers, a helicopter, and police dogs.
Officials cited concerns for Weston’s safety during the storm if he was in the mountains at the time – though they added it’s possible he had already moved out of the area.
The police search continues, focused on the forests of Yamashina.
The family has been in touch with the US Embassy in Japan and the FBI, Nancy said. The FBI told CNN it is “ready to assist our international partners with any requests for assistance.”
The family will stay in Japan until they find Weston, Nancy said, with help from a GoFundMe created by community members back home.
A 72-hour police search of the densely wooded area where Weston was last spotted walking toward ends, according to the family. The search involved more than 100 police officers, K-9s and helicopters.
The police investigation continues as law enforcement collects CCTV footage and monitors for bank card activity, the family tells CNN.
The family announces plans to hire their own search and rescue team and enlist the help of volunteers, particularly those with experience hiking challenging terrain, to continue the search for Weston.
Weston’s father, Keith Higginbotham, hikes about eight miles into the Higashiyama mountain range to prepare for the search and “get a good lay of the land.”
The Higginbothams meet with local residents and a hired search and rescue team at a local coffee shop. From there they launch their own search efforts, focused on areas of the forests of Yamashina that police did not search, according to the family.
“We know he is out in these woods somewhere,” Nancy writes in an initial update on Facebook Saturday morning.
Late that night, the family posts an update that Weston has been found dead by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto.
“The grief we feel is impossible to put into words,” the family says.
