World4 min(s) read
Published 12:13 09 Jun 2026 GMT
A mysterious, unanswered text has emerged as police revealed a key update in the death of a US student who vanished during a family vacation in Japan before being found dead in a remote mountain range.
James "Weston" Higginbotham, 20, was discovered dead on Saturday at around 2:35PM by a volunteer search-and-rescue crew.
According to CNN, authorities confirmed that no foul play is suspected in the case, though they will not disclose the cause of death.
"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," Weston's family said in a statement posted on social media.
"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," they continued. "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," they added.
As tributes continue to pour in, one message sent by Weston's childhood friend has taken on a particularly heartbreaking meaning.
Hiyu Shikari, 20, reunited with Weston in Tokyo just days before he disappeared. The pair had attended school together in the US before Hiyu moved to Japan.
After their dinner together, Hiyu tried to check in on Weston as the family travelled to Kyoto.
"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," Hiyu told The US Sun.
"And so I didn't get any contact with him after I met him," he continued. "I've been doing what I can to spread awareness."
Screenshots shared with the outlet showed that Hiyu had texted Weston earlier, encouraging him to enjoy his time in Japan and contact him if he needed help. Weston reacted to the message with a heart.
Later, Hiyu sent another message, which never appeared to reach his friend's phone.
"Good evening! How's the stay going? Hopefully yall are having a good time in Kyoto! Lmk if you need me to recommend you any places," he said. The message went unanswered.
Following confirmation of Weston's death, Hiyu told the publication: "I would just like to say let Weston rest in peace in heaven, and my deepest condolences to his family.
"He was such a wonderful friend, and I am truly heartbroken that their trip had turned out this way," he added.
Weston was an environmental engineering student at Auburn University. He had travelled to Japan with his parents and younger brother Grayton to celebrate Grayton's high school graduation.
According to Nancy, tensions arose during the trip after the 20-year-old disagreed with her use of ChatGPT to help navigate their travels.
Wanting some space, Weston decided to explore Kyoto alone while the rest of the family visited a nearby temple.
"It's not unusual for Weston to blow off steam going to the woods and just exploring," Nancy previously explained. "That's his happy place."
Using location data from the family's Life360 app, relatives were able to piece together some of his final known movements.
Weston is believed to have left carrying around $62 and with his phone battery at just 34 percent. After stopping at a hardware store, he boarded a train from Kyoto Station to nearby Yamashina Station, a journey of approximately five minutes.
At 8:29PM, his phone lost network coverage.
When his location later disappeared and he failed to respond to calls and messages, his family reported him missing at around 2AM.
An extensive search operation involving police, rescue teams, volunteers, and K9 units was launched, but efforts were complicated by the mountain terrain, dense woodland, and extreme weather brought by a typhoon.
The heartbreaking search came to an end on Saturday when a volunteer search-and-rescue team located the missing student in the mountains.
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