US3 min(s) read
Published 11:35 07 Jun 2026 GMT
The final message sent by the friend of a missing college student who was found dead in Japan may share an insight into his final days.
As previously reported, James 'Weston' Higginbotham, 20, vanished on May 29 after traveling to Kyoto's Yamashina Ward, an area his family believes he may have visited to access nearby hiking trails.
He'd traveled to Japan with his parents, Nancy and Keith Higginbotham, on May 25 and was last seen wearing a white "Save the Bees" graphic T-shirt, lavender corduroy pants, and Adidas sneakers with black stripes, and carrying a tote bag featuring the outline of the state of Alabama, The New York Post reported.
Following his disappearance, his family stated that his phone location stopped updating after he got off a train in Yamashina Ward, believing that Weston, who they described as a very experienced hiker, may have intentionally headed toward a quiet trail in the area.
Weston was last spotted at Kyoto station at around 6PM on May 29 and remained missing for over a week as public appeals and searches took place, until he was tragically found deceased.
His mother, Nancy, confirmed the news, writing on Facebook: "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."
Just days before Weston went missing, on May 22 the family had met up with his friend, Hiyu Shikari, who had recently relocated to Japan after going to school with Weston, and their last messages may shed light on the young man's final days.
Recalling the time they spent together to The US Sun, Hiyu shared: "We had such a great time at a restaurant in Shinjuku, which is in Tokyo.
"Right after that, I tried to contact him on how he was doing in Kyoto, because I was in Kyoto a couple of weeks ago, and also the typhoon was coming as I was kind of worried, and I messaged him, ‘How’s the trip going?’
“And that was after he went missing. And so I didn’t get any contact with him after I met him."
His final text to Weston read: "Good evening! How’s the stay going? Hopefully yall are having a good time in Kyoto! Lmk [Let me know] if you need me to recommend you any places [sic]."
It is not yet known if the message was ever successfully delivered to Weston's phone or if the young man ever read it.
Weston's cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
.webp_lli6Ty?tr=cr-74.9.445.380,f-webp,q-70,w-100)