In a devastating update Saturday morning, Nancy Higginbotham wrote that her and Keith Higginbotham's 20-year-old son, James "Weston" Higginbotham, was found dead.
Weston was a 2024 graduate from Spain Park High School and is currently a student at Auburn University studying environmental engineering.
"Our family is heartbroken to share that Weston was found deceased by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto. The grief we feel is impossible to put into words.
We are forever grateful for the time we had with our sweet, precious Weston, but cannot begin to understand what life without him will be like.
We are deeply grateful to the countless people across the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston’s story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement, and helped in the search efforts. The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.
We shared our story here and in the media in the hope of finding Weston. We now ask for privacy as we begin to navigate this unimaginable loss.
Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. We will need them now more than ever.
We will always love you, Weston."
On Friday evening, prior to the discovery, the parents released a new video update on Nancy's Facebook page. In it, they thank those who have offered support to the family, provide an update on the search.
She explained that while Kyoto Prefectural Police had concluded its portion of the search of one area of woods and the city, the department would continue to look for Weston in other ways.
The family is worked with volunteers and private search professionals to cover the area that was outside the area the police searched.
SEE: Search continues for James' Weston' Higginbotham, Auburn student and Hoover native, missing in Japan
"For any of our local friends that have been to Oak Mountain, think of the steepest parts; that's what most of this is the entire time. It's really thick, really steep in a lot of spots and just a lot of ground to cover," Keith explained.
The family asked that the public continue to "spread the word," especially to those in Japan.
"Weston is missing in the woods, and we will find him," Nancy concluded in that video.
The family's story has garnered national attention as the search for Weston entered the eighth day.
In an interview with Fox News, Nancy explained that the family last saw Weston after they decided to separate and explore separately following a minor "bickering" with one another.
They had been in Japan for 6 days before Weston went missing. They also described him as an experienced hiker. The family was tracking him using the Life 360 family-sharing app.
Nancy clarified earlier "emotionally distressed" comments, just saying that he needed a little personal time.
Keith explained that he has never been out of touch for an extended period.
"He's an Auburn student and even at Auburn we know where he is and what he's doing when he's not home because we share that with each other," he said.
The family is getting nightly updates from the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, who have described the efforts of
"My son is the most sweet person you could ever meet," his mother said.
In separate updates, the family has written about their efforts to continue sharing information through Japanese media outlets and with those in the United States who may have family and friends in Japan.
"We finally reached our ultimate media goal- we are on CNN International spreading Weston's picture and story and CNN Tokyo is coming to our apartment in Kyoto now. We also just finished an interview with The Japan Times. Getting Weston's picture in front of Japanese citizens is key," Nancy wrote on Wednesday.
"Getting CNN to cover the story was my ultimate goal. Four stories went out yesterday. Why CNN? This station gets broadcasted in Japan more than any station. I need Weston's face to be seen by the Japanese citizens. Though I think we have nailed down the exact location that he got lost, there is always the what ifs," she wrote in a later post.
"We will find Weston," she wrote.
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