Rescue operations are currently facing significant challenges near Kyoto, Japan, due to a powerful typhoon. Teams are working both from the air and on the ground, utilizing dogs in their efforts to find James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham, a missing 20-year-old Alabama native. Higginbotham, an engineering student at Auburn University, vanished on May 29 during a vacation with his family. He had ventured alone to explore hiking trails, a passion of his, after lunch that day.
His family describes him as an avid and 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, shared with CBS News. ‘And it rejuvenates him, and so I’m sure that’s what he did.’
While Higginbotham’s parents and brother toured a nearby temple, they monitored his location using a family tracking app. That evening, they noted his location changing but received no response when they texted him. Surveillance footage from Yamashina train station shows Higginbotham leaving, marking his last known sighting. At the time, he was dressed in a ‘Save the Bees’ T-shirt and lavender pants.
Nancy Higginbotham expressed confidence in her son’s ability to endure challenging conditions. ‘He has survival skills, and I don’t want anyone to doubt that if he is lost in the woods, he is still alive,’ she stated.
The family had planned to return to Alabama, but they are unwilling to leave Japan until they find their son. ‘We’re not flying home tonight,’ declared Nancy Higginbotham. James’ father, Keith Higginbotham, echoed the sentiment, saying, ‘A flight home is hard when you realize there’s one person that may not be on the flight with you.’