James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham, a college student from Alabama who went missing in Japan, has been sadly confirmed dead, his grieving mother revealed.
On Saturday morning, Nancy Higginbotham shared the devastating news that her 20-year-old son’s remains were located near Kyoto following an intensive search effort.
“Our family is crushed to announce that Weston was found deceased by a dedicated volunteer search team in the mountainous region outside Kyoto. The depth of our sorrow is indescribable,” the heartbroken mother expressed on Facebook.
“We cherish the moments we shared with our beloved Weston and cannot fathom a future without him,” she continued.
Nancy Higginbotham conveyed her family’s profound gratitude to everyone in the US, Japan, and around the globe who contributed to sharing Weston’s story, offered prayers, encouragement, and assisted in the search.
“The overwhelming compassion and support have been our lifeline during these darkest times. Your thoughts, prayers, and support are deeply appreciated and needed now more than ever,” she added.
‘We will always love you, Weston.’
The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear.
James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham, 20, was last seen in Kyoto on May 29. His parents have since revealed on Saturday morning that the college student has been found dead
James (far right) traveled to the country with his family to celebrate his younger brother’s graduation
Higginbotham said their family is ‘deeply grateful’ for everyone across the US, Japan and ‘around the world’ who helped ‘share Weston’s story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement and helped in the search efforts’
The Auburn University student traveled to the country with family to celebrate his younger brother’s graduation, and was described as being ’emotionally distressed’ when he went missing.
He had last been seen on May 29 after his family had been ‘bickering,’ his mother previously revealed.
‘We decided to separate. We had been, you know, kind of bickering with each other, and we decided, you go do your own thing, we do our thing,’ Nancy told Fox News.
Nancy described ‘bickering’ as normal, with the family sharing twin beds in a hotel room for six days together. She said he ‘just needed time by himself,’ and that his ‘happy place is going on a trail or just going on a hike.’
After his disappearance, James’ family was able to track him down on Life360, an app that allows families to track their locations, Nancy said.
It showed that James, who also goes by Weston, was by a river, visited a few stores, and then boarded a local train before his location went ‘completely dark,’ she stated.
He was last seen on surveillance footage getting off a train at the Yamashina Station on Tuesday morning.
On Wednesday, Nancy and her husband, Keith, shared a heartbreaking video on social media amid the search for their child.
The couple thanked everyone who had offered support for their ‘thoughts and prayers,’ with Nancy adding, ‘We truly feel them.’
‘We do feel the love and the support that you guys have given us and that the community in Japan has given us as well.
‘Every time that you guys repost on social media, it’s an opportunity for somebody in Japan to see it,’ Nancy continued, explaining that their ‘ultimate goal is for people in Japan to see Weston’s face so they can report back to us.’
