Search for Auburn Student in Japan

Nancy Higginbotham, the mother of missing Auburn University engineering student James “Weston” Higginbotham, told CBS News that she and her son had argued during their Japan vacation about her frequent use of ChatGPT before he disappeared. Weston, 20, has been missing since May 29 after staying behind while his parents and brother visited a temple in Kyoto. Later that day, his location appeared to move on a family tracking app, but he did not respond to texts. He was last seen leaving Yamashina train station in Kyoto, and his parents believe he may have headed toward a nearby hiking trail, consistent with his love of hiking. Nancy said her greatest fears are that he may be injured, stranded, or lost in the dense surrounding mountains and forests, possibly without food. Police reportedly concluded their initial search of the area after three days, deploying about 100 officers, K9 units, and helicopters without finding him. The family is now arranging a professional search-and-rescue team in Japan at a cost of more than $100,000 and says they are refusing to leave the country until they find their son. Despite the uncertainty, Weston’s father, Keith Higginbotham, expressed confidence that they will find him.

Search efforts continue in Kyoto, Japan, for James “Weston” Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student from Alabama who went missing while vacationing with his family. According to the article, Higginbotham left on his own after lunch on May 29, taking a train to an area known for hiking trails near Kyoto. His family says he was an experienced hiker who found peace on trails, and they believe he may have gone into the woods. Rescue teams have been searching the foothills near Kyoto by air and on the ground, including with dogs, but the work has been hampered by a powerful typhoon. Police say CCTV footage shows Higginbotham leaving Yamashina train station, and that is the last confirmed sighting. His family had been tracking his location through a family app, but when his location changed later that evening and their texts went unanswered, concern escalated. Wearing a “Save the Bees” T-shirt and lavender pants, he has not been found. The family says they are not leaving Japan until they find him, even though they were originally scheduled to fly back to Alabama.

The article provides a detailed timeline of the search for James “Weston” Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student who went missing in Japan during a family trip. The family was in Japan to celebrate his younger brother’s high school graduation and had visited several cities before arriving in Kyoto on May 29. That day, Weston reportedly had a disagreement with his mother over her use of ChatGPT for navigation and then chose to explore Kyoto alone while his family visited a nearby temple. Using Life360 and later CCTV footage, his parents traced his movements to Kyoto Station and then to the Yamashina area, a mountainous, heavily forested border region between Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, where he was last seen around 8 p.m. on May 29 walking toward hiking trails. The timeline shows the family reported him missing early on May 30, but the key CCTV evidence was not confirmed until June 2. Japanese police began a full search of the forested area on June 3, deploying dozens of officers, helicopters, and police dogs, but were hindered by stormy weather. By June 5, after a 72-hour search involving more than 100 officers and search assets, police ended their official effort, though the investigation continued through CCTV review and bank card monitoring. Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said the family would not leave Japan until he was found and announced plans to hire their own search-and-rescue team, supported by local residents, volunteers, the US Embassy, the FBI, and community fundraising. On June 6, the family and hired helpers launched their own search across the forests of Yamashina, focused on a five-mile stretch from Weston’s likely point of entry. The article’s purpose is to track the unfolding search effort and convey the family’s determination to continue despite the limited official search response.