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James “Weston” Higginbotham was with his family on vacation in Japan to celebrate his brother’s graduation, but he’s gone missing.
Last seen on May 29 at a train station in Kyoto, Japan, 20-year-old Weston, a student of Auburn University, has been gone without a trace for over five days.
Now, Weston’s parents, Nancy and Keith, are searching with Japanese authorities to locate their son. The FBI and the U.S. Embassy in Japan are involved in the search as well.
Meanwhile, the family’s local church in Birmingham, Alabama, called Asbury United Methodist Church, held a prayer vigil on June 2, praying for the family and for Weston’s safe return.
Weston’s grandfather, Robert Holt, told WVTM 13:
“Try to assure them that they’re not alone — that they have a whole lot of people — and most importantly, they’ve got God. It’s his decision on how things go in our daily lives — period. Whatever your beliefs may or may not be, mine is very simple. God is in control, and with that said, ‘God, please.’”
Through all of this, Weston’s mother, Nancy, says as she searches through Japan, “We will not lose hope.”
Weston’s Parents Continue To Search, Sharing Emotional Video Statement
Believed to have exited at the Yamashina train station, Weston has been missing for over five days as of June 3.
In a June 1 post on Facebook, Nancy described her son, saying, “Weston is a very experienced hiker and this town has beautiful nature trails. He may have intentionally chosen a quiet trail from Yamashina, especially Bishamon-do, Lake Biwa Canal, Misasagi, Keage/Nanzen-ji, Kyoto Trail, Mount Otowa, or Daigo/Kami-Daigo.”
Nancy added that while there is a typhoon hitting the area, she and her husband would still be searching for Weston.
“My husband and I went last night with flashlights and headlamps and didn’t get too far because we weren’t prepared for the wildlife we encountered,” she wrote.
In a video statement, Nancy and Keith spoke about their son’s disappearance, prayerfully asking for help in locating him.
“I just want to thank you all so much for your continuous thoughts and prayers,” Nancy said. “We truly feel them, and I want to thank everybody who was at Asbury right now at the vigil praying for Weston and our family. We do feel the love and the support that you have given us and that the community in Japan has given us as well.”
Keith then said, “Every comment, every share, everything that you all have done has led us to where we are now. We’re continuing to get closer and closer.”
Nancy said that every time that someone posts about Weston on social media that it’s “an opportunity for someone in Japan to see it,” with Nancy saying her “ultimate goal” is to make sure people in Japan know to be looking for Weston.
“If you know Weston, you know what a great kid he is,” Nancy said. “He has a heart of gold, and we all want him to come back safely.”
Watch their emotional video statement, here:
Nancy then provided a description of what Weston looks like, prefacing that Weston “may be emotionally distressed, so this is urgent,” listing the following details:
- Name: James “Weston” Higginbotham
- Age: 20;
- Height: 185cm (6′ 1″);
- Hair: Blonde Long;
- Eyes: Blue;
- Clothing last seen wearing: Shirt (white front, on the back it says “Save the Bees” with two bumblebees), Lavender corduroy pants with a large cuff, beat up adidas white with black stripes and wide shoelaces);
- Bag: Shoulder bag (not backpack) with the state of Alabama on it; and
- Phone: location turned off.
