Japan JAMES "WESTON" HIGGINBOTHAM: Missing from Kyoto, Japan - 29 May 2026 - Age 20 (9 Viewers)

https://people.com/parents-missing-auburn-student-weston-higginbotham-think-turned-off-phone-too-many-messages-11991016

An Alabama family is opening up about the final moments they spent with their 20-year-old son James “Weston” Higginbotham before he vanished a week ago during a trip to Japan.

“We decided to separate. We had been, you know, kind of bickering with each other,” Nancy Higginbotham told Fox News.

"We decided, ‘You go do your thing, we go do our thing,’ ” Nancy told the outlet of their group decision, which came after they’d been traveling together as a family since Monday, May 25, in celebration of their 18-year-old son’s high school graduation.

Nancy went on to say that her son, who was last seen in the Kyoto area on Friday, May 29, “just needed time by himself.”

"We just all needed just a little bit of time away. It’s not an abnormal thing to want time. When you’re 20, you’re an adult. You can do that," she added. “I mean, he’s 20 years old. He’s extremely well-traveled, he’s a wonderful navigator.”

However, that break turned into a nightmare for the Higginbotham family after the college student didn’t return.

Since then, Weston’s parents have issued alerts on social media and spoken to news outlets to raise awareness about their son’s disappearance.

Local police confirmed that Weston got off the train at Yamashina station in Kyoto on May 29, Nancy wrote in a social media post. It’s unclear if he got back on the train.

While Weston didn’t tell his parents where he was going, he loves to hike and there were hiking trails nearby, Keith told Fox News. That same evening, Weston turned off his phone, which his dad said was "totally out of character."

“I believe he probably turned it off because maybe we were sending him too many messages asking him what he was doing or where’s he at when he left and he just wanted some time alone," the concerned dad told the outlet.

His parents added that he's “never” disappeared like this before.

“We stay very well connected, know where each other are in the family at all times, really,” Keith said. “He’s an Auburn student and even at Auburn, we know where he’s at and what he’s doing when he’s not home.”

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Mother of missing Auburn student describes search through 'waist-high mud,' hails Japanese efforts

Japanese police intensified their search for 20-year-old Auburn student Weston Higginbotham, missing in Kyoto since May 29. Volunteers are joining the effort.

www.rocketcitynow.com

Mother of missing Auburn student describes search through 'waist-high mud,' hails Japanese efforts​

Japanese authorities expanded their search Thursday for a 20-year-old Auburn University student from Hoover who disappeared during a family vacation in Kyoto, as the missing man's family provided new information on the effort.

James "Weston" Higginbotham was last seen May 29 after separating from his family to explore Kyoto on his own. Surveillance footage placed him at Yamashina Station, east of central Kyoto, that evening. His phone lost service at 8:29 p.m., shortly after arriving at Kyoto Station at around 8:15 p.m.

Japanese police deployed about 50 officers, K9 units and helicopters to search a heavily wooded area near Yamashina. Ordinary Japanese civilians have also pitched in to help, handing out flyers and acting as translators at various police stations.

The Yamashina area borders Kyoto and Shiga prefectures and sits near the forested Higashiyama mountain range.

A typhoon brought heavy rain and concern for Higginbotham's safety if he was in the mountains, though police say he may have moved to another location.

Family members feared he could be "emotionally distressed." Nancy Higginbotham described him as "a very experienced hiker" and said the town has beautiful nature trails.

Despite the difficult search, the family said it has been overwhelmed by support from local Japanese residents, including volunteers who helped distribute flyers and translate conversations with authorities.

Nancy Higginbotham praised officers working in heavy rain and steep terrain.

"The Japanese police have worked so hard for us," she said.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

'Highly probable' that American missing in Japan left intentionally: Police

Days into the search for an American college student missing in Japan, investigators believe it is highly probable that he left his family intentionally.

abcnews.com

'Highly probable' that American missing in Japan left intentionally: Police​

Days into the search for an American college student missing in Japan, investigators believe it is highly probable that the 20-year-old left his family intentionally, but police remain concerned for his safety, Kyoto Prefectural Police told ABC News.

James "Weston" Higginbotham, a junior at Auburn University in Alabama, went missing on May 29 while in Kyoto on a trip with his family, police said. His parents reported him missing after he stopped responding to their messages and his phone location was turned off.

Authorities expressed concern for his well-being because Higginbotham does not speak Japanese.

Police said investigators have interviewed the family, followed Higginbotham’s movements after he left the hotel, examined items he left behind and reviewed surveillance footage.

A helicopter and K-9 teams have helped with the search in the mountains and hiking trails around Kyoto, police said. The search is expected to continue on Friday, police said.


Derzis said in a statement Wednesday that he's "praying for the swift return of Weston," adding, "We also pray that Keith, Nancy, and the entire Higginbotham family are provided with every resource needed as their efforts to find him continue."

Police said if Higginbotham is found, they will act according to his wishes and privacy.

 

[Kimster]

Oh no! I wonder if he was prone to meltdowns, so the family felt it was best for him to go on his own to cool off. This is just SO SAD! I hope and pray he is found safe!!!!

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

Search continues for Auburn University student missing in Japan

James "Weston" Higginbotham, an Auburn University student, went missing last week in Japan after his family says he went to an area near Kyoto known for its hiking trails.

www.cbsnews.com

Search continues for Auburn University student missing in Japan​

A powerful typhoon has hampered efforts by rescue teams scouring the foothills near Kyoto, Japan — from the air and on the ground with dogs — in the search for missing Alabama man James "Weston" Higginbotham.

The 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student was on vacation with his family when he disappeared after taking a train by himself to an area known for its hiking trails after lunch on May 29.

His family described him as an experienced hiker.

"When he is going on a trail, that's where he finds, like, his inner peace, and his quiet time," his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, told CBS News Thursday. "And it rejuvenates him, and so I'm sure that's what he did."

Higginbotham was on a family tracking app while his parents and brother visited a nearby temple. But when they saw his location move that evening, they texted him and received no response.

Police say there is CCTV footage of Higginbotham leaving the Yamashina train station, but that was the last time he was seen. At the time, he was wearing a "Save the Bees" T-shirt and lavender pants.

"He has survival skills, and I don't want anyone to doubt that if he is lost in the woods, he is still alive," Nancy Higginbotham, said.

The family was supposed to fly back to Alabama, but they say they are not leaving Japan without finding their son.

"We're not flying home tonight," Nancy Higginbotham said.

Added James' father, Keith Higginbotham: "A flight home is hard when you realize there's one person that may not be on the flight with you."

 

[Kimster]

I can’t imagine going on a hike in a country that I don’t know. I don’t even feel that safe hiking around here by myself anymore. But when I was 20 years old? I wouldn’t have thought a thing about it.

 

[Guess Who]

I can’t imagine going on a hike in a country that I don’t know. I don’t even feel that safe hiking around here by myself anymore. But when I was 20 years old? I wouldn’t have thought a thing about it.

People give me more pause than critters or terrain.

 

[Kimster]

People give me more pause than critters or terrain.

I was also thinking about the getting lost factor. Too many episodes of the Missing Enigma!