The search for Auburn University student James “Weston” Higginbotham ended in heartbreak on Saturday after the 20-year-old was found dead in a mountainous area outside Kyoto, Japan, a week after he disappeared while exploring on his own during a family vacation.

Weston had been traveling through Japan with his parents, Nancy and Keith Higginbotham, and his younger brother when he separated from the family on May 29. According to relatives, he left to spend some time alone after a disagreement with his mother and never returned.

His mother confirmed the devastating news in a statement shared on social media.

“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,” Nancy Higginbotham wrote.

“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.”

She also thanked the many people across the United States, Japan, and beyond who helped search for Weston, shared information about his disappearance, and supported the family throughout the ordeal.

“The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives,” she wrote, adding that the family is now asking for privacy as they begin to mourn.

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death.

Earlier on Saturday, before Weston was found, Nancy and Keith had posted an update describing their plans to continue searching areas that police had not covered.

“Today we are meeting some amazing volunteers,” Nancy said in a video update, explaining that the family intended to search a dense wooded region where Weston was believed to have gone.

She revealed that Japanese authorities had concluded their intensive search of that particular section of the mountains after spending 72 hours combing the area.

“Yesterday, four policemen came and debriefed us, because after 72 hours of searching, they have concluded their search,” she said. “Not to say they’re not still looking for Weston in other ways, but they have concluded their wooded search.”

Police had focused their efforts on the Yamashina Mountains, deploying helicopters, officers, and K-9 teams to search the heavily forested terrain where Weston was thought to have traveled after leaving Kyoto.

Despite the setback, Nancy remained determined.

“Weston is missing in the woods and we will find him,” she said at the time.

Keith Higginbotham explained that the family planned to work alongside volunteers and professional search teams to examine areas that remained unchecked.

“We’re not search and rescue professionals,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to work with everyone to cover the areas the police department didn’t cover.”

He described the landscape as extremely challenging, saying he had personally hiked roughly eight miles through the region to better understand the terrain.

“There’s a large area still left to cover,” Keith said.

Comparing the mountains to Alabama’s Oak Mountain, he said the area was steep, rugged, and difficult to navigate.

“For any of our local friends who have been to Oak Mountain, think the steepest parts of Oak Mountain. That’s what most of this is the entire time,” he explained.

“It’s really thick. It’s really steep in a lot of spots. Just a lot of ground to cover.”

The family’s private search effort came after authorities granted permission for them to organize their own volunteer operation in the Shiga region. Nancy had also shared maps highlighting the search zone in the Yamashina mountain area and said investigators were reviewing additional CCTV footage after reports that Weston may have been seen at another train station.

Search efforts were further complicated by severe weather. A typhoon moved through the region on June 3, creating dangerous conditions and turning parts of the search area into deep mud. Nancy said local authorities continued searching despite the harsh conditions, at times wading through waist-deep mud.

The Higginbotham family had arrived in Japan on May 22 to celebrate the high school graduation of Weston’s younger brother, Grayson.

On the evening of May 29, Weston left the family while they were visiting a temple in Kyoto. According to his family, he wanted time alone after a disagreement with his mother regarding her use of ChatGPT during the trip.

Surveillance footage later captured him at a train station before he traveled toward the nearby Yamashina area. Records showed he arrived at Kyoto Station around 8:15 p.m., and his phone reportedly lost network connection at approximately 8:29 p.m. while he may have been traveling east on a local train.

The family officially reported him missing around 2 a.m. after noticing that his location had been turned off on the Life360 tracking app.

Nancy said it was not unusual for Weston to seek solitude in nature.

“It’s not unusual for Weston to blow off steam going to the woods and just exploring. That’s his happy place,” she explained.

Family members believe he likely set out on a solo hike after traveling to Yamashina, a short train ride from Kyoto Station.

At the time, Weston reportedly had about $62 with him, and his phone battery was estimated to be at 34 percent. Investigators later confirmed he visited several stores, including a Kohnan hardware store, before boarding another train.

His grandmother, Judith Higginbotham, described him as an experienced outdoorsman who loved nature and was comfortable in wilderness environments.

“My grandson is very knowledgeable of the woods, and he camps, and all that. This is not like my Weston,” she said, emphasizing that his disappearance was completely out of character.

The discovery of Weston’s body on Saturday brought a tragic end to a week-long search that captured attention in both Japan and the United States.