American Missing in Japan Found Dead in Mountainous Area Near Kyoto
Volunteer searchers found the Auburn University student’s body after a typhoon delayed the search for days, and police said foul play is not suspected.
- On Saturday, volunteer searchers found the body of 20-year-old Auburn University student James Weston Higginbotham in the mountains outside Kyoto, Japan, ending a week-long search after his May 29 disappearance.
- Following an argument with his mother over her use of ChatGPT, Higginbotham disappeared; search efforts were delayed until Wednesday because of Typhoon Janmi's brutal conditions.
- Described as an experienced hiker and "pacifist" with a "heart of gold," the biosystems engineering student was not believed by loved ones to have sought to harm himself.
- Kyoto police reported no signs of foul play, though the specific cause of death remains unreleased, while condolences from The Auburn Family and Alabama community members poured in.
- Hoover Mayor Nick Derzis called Higginbotham a "young man of remarkable character," while Alabama State Rep. Mike Shaw expressed being "shaken" by the news, noting, "Oh, how we all hoped for a different outcome.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Auburn student whose body was found after going missing in Japan was on a ‘decompression’ hike
An Auburn University student who died in Japan after going off on a solo hike away from his family enjoyed long strolls for “decompression” and wouldn’t have wanted to harm himself, a family friend said Monday
American missing in Japan found dead in mountainous area near Kyoto
James "Weston" Higginbotham's cause of death has not been released. By Othon Leyva and Nadine El-Bawab June 7, 2026, 6:47 AM An Auburn University student missing in Japan since last week was found dead by volunteers searching a mountainous area near Kyoto, his mother said in a Facebook post on Saturday. James "Weston" Higginbotham, 20, was reported missing on May 29 while on a trip with his family, after he stopped responding to his family's mes…
The boy was found in a wooded area near Kyoto, where a severe storm had previously passed.
A 20-year-old hiker had disappeared on May 29 in Japan. His family announced on social media that his body had been found lifeless.
kvi.com
Missing Auburn student found dead near Kyoto after week-long search in Japan
A weeklong search for a missing 20-year-old American university student traveling in Japan ended tragically after his body was discovered in a rugged highland territory outside Kyoto. James “Weston” Higginbotham, an Auburn University junior from Hoover, Alabama, was last seen on May 29 near Kyoto’s Yamashina area after separating from his family while they were visiting Japan to celebrate his younger brother’s high school graduation. Authorities…
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