A family vacation in Japan ended tragically Saturday when a volunteer search and rescue team found the body of an Auburn University student in a wooded mountain area who had been missing for a week.
James “Weston” Higginbottom, 20, was found dead near Kyoto, his family announced in a social media post.
The discovery was reportedly made after the police ended their search efforts a day earlier.
“Our family is heartbroken,” the family from Birmingham, Alabama, wrote in their post announcing the discovery. “It is impossible to express in words the sorrow we feel.”
Police in Kyoto told CNN that Higginbotham was discovered around 2:35 p.m. Saturday by volunteers searching the mountains in the Yamashina area of the city.
What happened to Higginbottom remains a mystery, at least to many Americans and local Japanese residents who have been following the case, which was covered by major broadcast networks and went viral on social media.
Police told the cable news network that no foul play was suspected, but they clarified that they would not disclose the cause of death.
Described as an “obsessed naturalist”, the young man disappeared on May 29 after leaving his parents and brother to explore Kyoto alone.
The young Higginbottom, who was “anti-AI”, debated with his mother the use of ChatGPT, which he believed led to the depletion of natural resources such as water, he said in an interview. cbs morning.
“This is a serious matter for us,” he said.
Using an app called Life360 to track his movements, his parents noticed that he boarded a train and visited several stores. His location was locked down shortly after his family messaged him asking where he was going.
This was not his specialty, his mother said.
Weston was reportedly seen on CCTV footage wandering in the Yamashina area of the city, traveling on a path that led to a hiking trail in a nearby forest.
Police decided to search the forest area on 2 June, but wind and heavy rain in the area hindered their search. That search, which involved K-9 tracking dogs, helicopters and more than 100 police officers, ended Friday.
On Saturday, the family hired their own search-and-rescue team and enlisted a group of local residents who volunteered to help. According To cbs morning.
The volunteer group reportedly concentrated on areas of the forest that had not been searched by the police.
Following the discovery of Weston’s body, the family expressed their gratitude to everyone who helped and supported them.
He wrote:
We are deeply grateful to the countless people in the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston’s story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement, and helped with search efforts. The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.
There was also no word from the family regarding any suspected or determined cause of death.
“We shared his story here and in the media in hopes of finding Weston,” the statement said. “We ask for privacy now as we begin to deal with this unimaginable loss.”
“We will always love you, Weston,” the statement concluded.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times True Crime Best Seller house of secrets and nine other crime novels and non-fiction titles. Look lovellcauffiel.com For more information.
