James Weston Higginbotham (above left, long hair) has been missing since May 29. A family of four from Alabama went to Japan on vacation.

A Japan vacation turned into a nightmare for this Alabama family after their 20-year-old son, who attends Auburn University, has been missing since May 29. The family said they would not leave Japan without Weston. Weston is an experienced traveler and no one opposed him when he went on a solo trip after a fight with his mother. Nancy Higginbottom, a mother, was using ChatGPT for her travel itinerary and Weston, a naturalist, told her how much natural resources such a use of AI requires. But then Weston’s phone location went off.“It’s not unusual for Weston to go into the woods and just explore. It’s his happy place,” Higginbottom told CNN. “I’m thinking…he just went into the woods, and got lost.”The search for Weston in Japan now involves Japanese police, civilian volunteers, and the FBI.The family of four took a trip to Japan on May 22 to celebrate Weston’s 18-year-old brother’s high school graduation.Higginbottom said, “While we were visiting a temple, Weston got on a train.” “We’re texting him and saying, ‘Hey, where are you?’ You know, ‘What are you doing?'” The family saw through the app that Weston had stopped at a few stores before going back on the train — then his location was closed.

Out of character for Weston, family says

Weston’s family says this was worrying and out of character for Weston as he always shared his space with his family. By 2 a.m., with no sign of Weston, the family reported him missing to local authorities. Her mother said she had about 10,000 Japanese yen (about $62.50), and a phone with 34% battery before she lost her location.According to local police, Weston left Kyoto Station alone at 6 pm that day. He was last seen around 8 p.m. In CCTV footage, she is seen walking alone in the Yamashina area of ​​the city – on a path that leads to a hiking trail in a nearby forest. Shortly thereafter, a typhoon approached Kyoto but police said it was possible that it had already moved off the mountain by that time.The family has circulated a missing person’s flyer in Japanese so that locals can help search for Weston. Auburn University is aware of Weston’s disappearance and the school has contacted the family to offer assistance, according to a statement from the Auburn Plainsman, the university’s student newspaper.