A 20-year-old Auburn University student from Alabama has gone missing in Japan while on a graduation trip with his family. James 'Weston' Higginbotham was last confirmed to be in the Kyoto area on May 29. His parents are searching for him and have organized a prayer vigil in Birmingham, Alabama. Here are five key things to know about the missing student:
James is an honors graduate from Spain Park High School and was studying environmental engineering at Auburn University. He is 185cm tall with blonde long hair, blue eyes, and pierced ears. His last confirmed purchase location was at a hardware store in the Kyoto area, and his last phone activity was on the evening of May 29.
James may have been traveling by train, and his mother has suggested that he could be in hotels, hostels, capsule hotels, internet cafés, manga cafés, train stations, and quiet areas. The police have narrowed down the search to Yamashina station per CCTV footage.
James' mother has appealed for kindness and understanding, saying that he is not detained from a night out partying and that the police have confirmed this. She has also asked for volunteers to join her in searching for her son in the woods near Yamashina.
State Representative Mike Shaw has commented on James' disappearance, saying that Japan is a safe country with friendly people who are masters at collaboration in times of crisis. He has also expressed his support for James' family and the search efforts.
