An Alabama student who went missing in Japan while traveling with his family has been found dead, his mother said in a Saturday, June 6, social media post. It had been over a week since he was last seen.

James “Weston” Higginbotham was found by a volunteer search-and-rescue team in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, Japan, his mother Nancy Higginbotham said.

“The grief we feel is impossible to put into words,” she said. “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.”

The 20-year-old Auburn University student was last seen on May 29 while the family was on a trip to celebrate his younger brother’s high school graduation, Nancy Higginbotham previously told USA TODAY. The family was supposed to leave Japan on June 4 but extended the trip since Higginbotham went missing.

A search effort was launched with local police sending helicopters and volunteer search teams across hilly terrain. Nancy Higginbotham previously said her son may have been emotionally distressed and was an “experienced hiker.”

“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,” Nancy Higginbotham said.

What happened in Auburn student’s disappearance?

Higginbotham was last with his family on May 29 at about 6:30 p.m. local time after the family ate at a restaurant shortly after arriving in Kyoto. They had been traveling together for six days at that point, and decided to get some space, Nancy Higginbotham told USA TODAY.

He may have been distressed because of the extended trip and bickering, she said. While she went with her husband and her younger son to see a temple, Higginbotham stayed at the family’s hotel.

Police determined Higginbotham got on a train and arrived at a station in the Yamashina area and lost cell signal at about 8:30 p.m. that day, his mother said in posts on Facebook. He headed toward hiking trails at that point, she said.

The search included local authorities, and Alabama state Reps. Mike Shaw and Susan DuBose said they were in touch with the Honorary Consul General of Japan in Birmingham, Alabama, which reports to the Consulate General of Japan in Atlanta. Nancy Higginbotham shared updates about the search on social media, and said it involved very steep, rugged terrain.

Higginbotham’s cause of death was not revealed on June 6. (USA Today, excluding headline)

Update news