A 20-year-old American college student who disappeared while traveling in Japan at the end of May was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto after authorities conducted a prolonged search.
Foreign news agencies reported on Saturday, 6 Jun 2026 GMT+7, that Japanese rescue volunteers found the body of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student. He had gone missing mysteriously during a family vacation, prompting a large-scale search operation in forests and mountain ranges for several days.
"Our family is heartbroken to inform you that rescue volunteers have found Weston's body in the mountainous area outside Kyoto. The grief we are experiencing cannot be expressed in words," Weston's family said in a statement posted on social media.
Weston, who loved and was passionate about nature, went missing on 29 May after separating from his parents and brother to explore Kyoto alone. This followed an argument with his mother about her using ChatGPT for trip navigation, as Weston believed the AI consumed excessive natural resources.
Weston was last seen walking alone in the Yamashina district of Kyoto, heading toward nearby forest hiking trails in the mountainous area.
Weston's family stated that the Japanese police's search operation in the dense forest area he was heading to ended on Friday after 72 hours of effort. The search involved over 100 police officers, K-9 units, and several helicopters.
On Saturday, the Higginbotham family launched their own search campaign with help from local residents and hired rescue teams, focusing on forest areas in the Yamashina district that police had not yet explored.
"We know he must be somewhere in this forest," Nancy Higginbotham, Weston's mother, wrote in a Facebook update on Saturday morning.
After Weston's body was found, the family thanked everyone who shared his story and contributed to the search. "The kindness and support we have received have helped us through the darkest moments of our lives."
"Thank you for the remembrances, prayers, and all forms of support. From now on, we will rely on these more than ever. We will love our son forever... Weston," the family added.
The cause of Weston's death has not yet been determined.
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Source:cnn