James Weston Higginbotham, a junior studying biosystems engineering at Auburn University, went missing while on a family vacation in Japan. His death has taken a tragic turn after information regarding the last text message he allegedly sent to a friend before he disappeared.
Higginbotham was last seen on May 29 in Kyoto's Yamashina district. Japanese authorities, volunteers and family members spent more than a week searching for him after he separated from his parents during their trip. His remains were ultimately located by a volunteer search-and-rescue team in a wooded area outside Kyoto on Saturday, June 6.
According to the US Sun, among the last moments details to emerge are messages exchanged between Higginbotham and his longtime friend Hiyu Shikari, who met him and his family during their trip to Japan.
Shikari and Higginbotham were childhood friends who attended middle school together in the United States before Shikari moved to Japan several years ago. The pair reunited in Tokyo during Weston’s vacation and spent time together at a restaurant in Shinjuku. The Higginbotham family was headed to Kyoto shortly after.
The final text message sent by Higginbotham to Shikari was a heart emoji, which would become one of their final exchanges. A few days later, after Weston had arrived in Kyoto, Shikari sent another text checking on him and offering travel recommendations, but it was never delivered and went unanswered.
Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham, confirmed the devastating news in a Facebook statement, thanking the thousands of people who assisted in the search effort and supported the family throughout the ordeal.
