As of June 4, 2026, a powerful typhoon is complicating rescue efforts near Kyoto, Japan. Search teams are working diligently on foot with dogs and from the air to locate James “Weston” Higginbotham, an Alabama man missing in the region. The 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student vanished while on holiday with his family. He took a solo train journey to a popular hiking area on May 29.
His family describes him as an adept hiker. “When he is on a trail, he finds his inner peace,” explained his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, in an interview with CBS News. “It rejuvenates him. I’m sure that’s what he sought.” A family photo released on social media shows James Higginbotham shortly before his disappearance.
The family monitored him via a tracking app while they visited a temple nearby. However, they grew concerned when his location shifted without a response to their texts that evening. Police report having CCTV footage of Higginbotham exiting the Yamashina train station, but this was his last known sighting.
At the time of his disappearance, he wore a “Save the Bees” T-shirt and lavender pants. His mother insists on his survival capabilities, stating, “He has survival skills, and I don’t want anyone to doubt that. If he is lost in the woods, he is still alive.”
The Higginbotham family’s return to Alabama was delayed as they remain committed to continuing the search in Japan. “We’re not flying home tonight,” expressed Nancy Higginbotham. James’ father, Keith Higginbotham, added, “A flight home is hard when you realize there’s one person that may not be on the flight with you.”
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