The close friend of James “Weston” Higginbotham has revealed the final text message he sent to the Auburn University student before the 20-year-old was found dead in Japan.

Weston had been traveling through the Kyoto region with his family when he disappeared on May 29 after leaving to explore on his own. One of the last confirmed sightings of the Alabama college student was at Kyoto Station around 6 p.m. that evening.

After days of searching and international appeals for information, Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham, announced the devastating outcome on June 6.

“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,” she wrote in a Facebook statement.

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

Nancy also thanked the thousands of people who helped spread awareness about her son’s disappearance and supported the family during the search.

“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,” she wrote.

“The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.”

The family explained that they had chosen to speak publicly and work with media outlets to increase awareness while Weston was missing. Following the discovery of his body, they asked for privacy as they mourn their loss.

“Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. We will need them now more than ever,” Nancy wrote. “We will always love you, Weston.”

As friends and loved ones continue to process the tragedy, one of Weston’s closest friends, Hiyu Shikari, has shared details about their final communication.

Hiyu and Weston first met while attending school together in the United States before Hiyu later moved back to Japan. During the Higginbotham family’s trip, the two friends reunited in Tokyo on May 22.

“We had such a great time at a restaurant in Shinjuku, which is in Tokyo,” Hiyu told The U.S. Sun.

After their meeting, Hiyu attempted to stay in touch as Weston continued traveling with his family. Concerned about worsening weather conditions and knowing a typhoon was approaching the Kyoto region, he reached out to check on his friend.

“Right after that, I tried to contact him on how he was doing in Kyoto, because I was in Kyoto a couple of weeks ago, and also the typhoon was coming as I was kind of worried,” Hiyu said.

He later sent Weston a message asking about the trip.

“Good evening! How’s the stay going? Hopefully yall are having a good time in Kyoto! Lmk if you need me to recommend you any places,” the text read.

According to Hiyu, the message was sent after Weston had already disappeared. He never received a response.

“I didn’t get any contact with him after I met him,” he said.

Hiyu said he spent the days following Weston’s disappearance doing everything he could to help raise awareness and support search efforts.

“I’ve been doing what I can to spread awareness,” he said.

The text message would ultimately become one of the final attempts by a friend to reach Weston before volunteer rescuers located his body in the mountains outside Kyoto, bringing a heartbreaking end to the search for the young American student.

Source: unilad