An 8-day search ended in heartbreak on Saturday.
James “Weston” Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student from Alabama, was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, Japan, his mother Nancy Higginbotham confirmed on Facebook.
A volunteer search-and-rescue team discovered him.
“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.”
–The last days of a family trip—
Weston went missing on May 29, hours after his family arrived in Kyoto to celebrate his younger brother’s high school graduation.
The Higginbothams were supposed to fly home June 4 but extended their stay as the search dragged on.
His mother told “USA TODAY” that Weston was last with the family around 6:30 p.m. after dinner at a restaurant.
Needing space after days of travel and “bickering,” he stayed at the hotel while his parents and brother visited a temple.
Police later tracked him boarding a train to Yamashina station. Cell signal was lost around 8:30 p.m. He headed towards hiking trails.
Weston was described as an “experienced hiker,” but his mother said he may have been emotionally distressed.
–A global search effort–
What followed was massive. Kyoto police deployed helicopters and ground teams.
Volunteers scoured steep, rugged terrain. Updates from Nancy Higginbotham on Facebook drew global attention.
Alabama state Reps. Mike Shaw and Susan DuBose helped coordinate with Japan’s Honorary Consul General in Birmingham.
Strangers across the U.S., Japan, and beyond shared his photo, prayed, and joined search groups.
“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 said.
She said that “The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.”
-Cause of death has not been released.
From a graduation trip in Kyoto to a tragedy on a mountainside — Weston’s story touched thousands who never met him, but prayed for him anyway.
