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Missing Auburn University student in Japan found dead, mother says
Search teams found the body of 20-year-old Auburn University student James Weston Higginbotham in mountains outside Kyoto, and authorities said his death remains unexplained.
On Saturday, search teams found the body of 20-year-old Auburn University student James 'Weston' Higginbotham in a mountainous region outside Kyoto. Officials have not yet determined the cause of death.
Authorities treated the disappearance as a missing-persons case after Higginbotham vanished following a disagreement with his mother, Nancy Higginbotham. A typhoon on Tuesday significantly complicated search efforts across dense terrain.
Higginbotham was last confirmed in the Kyoto area on Friday, May 29, when he made a purchase at a Kohnan hardware store. He may have traveled from there on a local train.
Nancy Higginbotham announced the discovery on Facebook, expressing gratitude for the support received during the search. She wrote, "We are forever grateful for the time we had with our sweet, precious Weston."
The family noted several fatalities occur in these mountains annually, underscoring the hazards of steep, dense terrain. Higginbotham had turned off his phone location before disappearing, which initially raised family alarms.