“Our family is heartbroken," said mom Nancy Higginbotham after her son Weston was found dead on June 6
Credit: Nancy Higginbotham/Facebook
NEED TO KNOW
- James “Weston” Higginbotham was found dead on June 6 in the Yamashina area of Japan after disappearing during a family trip to Japan
- No foul play is suspected in connection to his death, and his cause of death will not be disclosed, police said
- Weston’s mother previously said she and her son had argued about her use of ChatGPT before they separated the day of her son’s disappearance
No foul play is suspected in connection with the death of an Auburn University student who disappeared during a family trip to Japan.
James "Weston" Higginbotham, 20, was last seen on CCTV exiting a train in Yamashina on the night of Friday, May 29.
Police said volunteers located Weston's body on Saturday, June 6, in the mountains of Kyoto's Yamashina area, according to CNN, ABC News and SoraNews24.
No foul play is suspected, and police — who did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment — will not disclose Weston's cause of death.
Nancy Higginbotham, Weston's mom, paid tribute to her son in a statement shared on Facebook after sharing that the young man had been found dead.
“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,” Nancy wrote.
“We are forever grateful for the time we had with our sweet, precious Weston,” she added, “but cannot begin to understand what life without him will be like.”
The Higginbothams had been traveling together since May 25, according to a June 2 Facebook post shared by Nancy.
Nancy told NBC News that Weston separated from his parents following an argument about her use of ChatGPT during the trip. “We try never to use it and I totally agree with him. It was just a dumb, dumb argument to have,” she said at the time.
Speaking with Fox News, Nancy said Weston's phone lost network at 8:29 p.m. on May 29, which prevented his family from following him through the Life360 app or sending him text messages.
Initially, Nancy said a typhoon hampered efforts to search for Weston. In an update shared on June 3, Nancy said 50 police officers, K9s and helicopters were deployed to search the surrounding wooded area, made more difficult by the wet and steep terrain.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE before Weston's death, an Auburn University spokesperson said the college was aware of the junior biosystems engineering major's disappearance.
“Our thoughts are with Weston, his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time," the spokesperson said. "University officials have reached out to the family and offered support.”
Credit: Nancy Higginbotham/Facebook
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In her post announcing Weston's death, Nancy said she and her family “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,” the mom wrote. “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.”
She concluded, “Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. We will need them now more than ever. We will always love you, Weston.”
Read the full article here
