An Auburn University student went missing in Japan during a family trip
Parents Nancy and Keith Higginbotham are asking for help to find their son, James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who disappeared during a family trip to Kyoto, Japan. He was last seen on May 29, his phone area went dark, and an urgent search began. The parents believe that their experienced traveler son may be emotionally stressed and needs some time alone.
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An Auburn University student who went missing in Japan for nearly a week left alone during a family visit after a family argument, his parents said Thursday.
Nancy and Keith Higginbotham revealed more details about the moments leading up to the May 29 disappearance of their 20-year-old son, James “Weston” Higginbotham, near Yamashina Station, east of Kyoto, during an interview on “FOX & Friends First.”
“We decided to split up,” said Nancy Higginbotham. “We had an argument with each other, we decided, you go do your thing, we go do our thing. I mean, he’s 20 years old, he walks very well, he’s an amazing sailor, so we went to the temples, and then he walked by the river.”
He added that it was a common type of argument a family might have on vacation, noting that they spent six days sharing twin beds in a hotel room.
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James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, disappeared in Japan during a family trip, according to his mother. Police believe his last known location was Yamashina Station, east of Kyoto. (Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham)
The family was able to track him down on Life360, a phone app that allows families to track each other’s whereabouts, Nancy Higginbotham said. It showed that Weston was on the river and went to a few shops before he got on the train. Then her place became “very dark,” she said.
When asked about her social media post suggesting that Weston may have been under emotional stress at the time of his disappearance, Nancy Higginbotham said her son “needs some alone time.”
His family believes he may have been looking for nearby nature trails when he went missing on May 29. (Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham)
“We just needed to separate,” she said. “And so his happy place is going on the trail or just walking, so we all just needed a little time. It’s not unusual to need time. When you’re 20, you’re an adult. You can do that.”
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Weston is described as standing 6 feet 1 inch tall with long blond hair and blue eyes. His mother said he was last seen wearing a shirt with “Save the Bees” written on the back, lavender corduroy pants and white Adidas sneakers with black stripes. She was carrying a shoulder bag with an outline of the state of Alabama.
Weston was last seen wearing a shirt with “Save the Bees” written on the back, lavender corduroy pants and white Adidas sneakers with black stripes, according to his mother. (Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham)
Nancy Higginbotham has been sharing updates about the search on social media, writing that dozens of police, K-9 units and helicopters were covering the wooded area of Weston.
The area around Yamashina includes several popular hiking trails, temples and forest trails, including trails to Mount Otowa and the Kyoto Trail network.
The parents praised Japanese police, the US Embassy in Japan and the FBI as “excellent” in their search efforts.
“They deployed 50 more officers, and I was told that, you know, they had chest mud … and they had canine dogs, and they had helicopters,” Nancy Higginbotham said.
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He said the family is still hopeful that Weston will be found alive even though he has been missing for a week, adding that his son was “built to endure.”
“The water is really fresh here; you have plenty of water to drink,” he said. “And he can eat food; he can live. He is here and we will find him.”
