American College Student Missing in Japan

The mother of James “Weston” Higginbotham, an American college student missing in Japan, spoke to CBS News about their last encounter. The 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student has been missing since May 29, 2026. His disappearance followed an argument with his mother over her use of ChatGPT during their vacation.

Nancy Higginbotham expressed her concern, noting that her reliance on ChatGPT in Japan became a contentious issue. “I was using a little bit too much ChatGPT,” she explained. “Weston is very anti-AI due to his background in sustainability engineering and concerns about AI’s impact on water resources.”

On May 29, Weston chose to stay behind while the rest of his family visited a temple in Kyoto. That evening, his parents observed his location changing on a family tracking app but received no response to their messages. He was last seen leaving the Yamashina train station in Kyoto, possibly heading to a nearby hiking trail.

Nancy Higginbotham voiced her fears saying, “My fear is that he got hurt and that he’s stuck. My fear is that he doesn’t have enough food because there is plenty of water, and that he’s lost. Those mountains and forests stretch a long way and are extremely dense.”

A family photo of James “Weston” Higginbotham of Alabama, who went missing near Kyoto, Japan, on May 29, 2026. Nancy Higginbotham/Facebook

Search Efforts

The search efforts, according to Nancy Higginbotham, have been suspended by the police. “They concluded the search of the area they committed to,” she said, describing a thorough three-day effort involving 100 police officers, K9 units, and helicopters.

The family is now hiring a professional search and rescue team in Japan, anticipating a cost exceeding $100,000. “We have complete confidence that we are going to find him,” stated Keith Higginbotham, Weston’s father.