The parents of James “Weston” Higginbotham have released a map showing the area local police in Japan have already searched for their missing son, pleading with locals to assist in trying to find him.
Nancy Higginbotham, Weston’s mother, shared in a post on Facebook a screenshot of what appears to be a Google Maps view of a wooded area in the Yamashina mountains in Kyoto. The map has a large red circle drawn around the area which she said the local authorities had already searched.
“We are asking experienced hikers to help search outside of the marked search zone, particularly in the surrounding mountains and remote trails,” she said in the post.
However, those who “don’t understand Japanese, don’t have a map app, haven’t prepared food, are lightly dressed, haven’t told anyone which route you’re taking, or start hiking in the evening,” have been warned by a local to be extremely careful, as “it could literally cost you your life,” according to Nancy’s post. The local added that “foreign travelers who aren’t familiar with the terrain, please be especially careful.”
Who Is Weston Higginbotham?
It is now the seventh day since Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student, went missing during a family vacation in Japan. He was last seen on May 29 in Kyoto at around 8:15 p.m. local time. CCTV footage later placed him at Yamashina Station, according to his mother’s reports.
Higginbotham’s mother previously told Newsweek the family had spent the day of May 29 separately while visiting Kyoto. She, her husband and their younger son visited a temple while Higginbotham explored the city on his own. Nancy previously told Newsweek they weren’t worried about their son exploring alone as he is an “excellent navigator” as well as very fit, having previously completed an Ironman triathlon.
However, by the evening, they had received no response from Higginbotham to text messages they sent and noticed his live phone location had been switched off, which they said was out of character for him. At around 2 a.m. local time, they reported him missing to police.
While Higginbotham has been missing, a typhoon hit Japan on Wednesday, making landfall on the Wakayama prefecture, resulting in the highest-level flood warnings in several areas. It also brought torrential rain to the Yamashina area on Wednesday.
Newsweek has contacted Nancy Higginbotham via email. Anyone with information is asked to contact Kyoto police or the nearest U.S. Embassy/Consulate.
This is a developing story. More to follow…
