The body of James “Weston” Higginbotham, the 20-year-old Auburn University student who walked away from his family in Kyoto on May 29 after an argument with his mother over her use of ChatGPT, was found by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside the Japanese city on Saturday, reported CNN, ending a week-long search through typhoon-soaked forests that drew international attention.
“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. The grief we feel is impossible to put into words,” the Higginbotham family posted on Facebook on Saturday.
‘A dumb, dumb argument’
The argument that preceded Weston’s disappearance was over his mother Nancy Higginbotham’s use of ChatGPT to help navigate the family’s trip.
“We had an argument because I was using ChatGPT too much to try to help us navigate the trip and find the best restaurants and do this and that,” Nancy Higginbotham told CNN earlier in the week. “We try never to use it and I totally agree with him. It was just a dumb, dumb argument to have.”
A passionate naturalist and self-described “lover of Mother Nature” in his mother’s words to CNN, Weston opposed the family’s increasing reliance on artificial intelligence because of the natural resources, water and electricity that large language models consume. He was a vegan and a pacifist who, his mother told NBC News, “doesn’t even stomp on spiders or insects, opting to carry them outside”.
“He’s such a pacifist. When he gets mad, he just likes to retreat to himself,” Nancy told CNN earlier.
The family had relied on the Life360 location-sharing app to track Weston during the trip. His phone went dark shortly after he boarded a train alone while the family was visiting a Kyoto temple, his mother said.
A 72-hour police search ended Friday
Japanese police, working with K-9 units and helicopters, conducted a 72-hour search of the densely wooded Yamashina area that Weston was last seen walking toward. The search involved more than 100 police officers and concluded on Friday. Search teams had been combing the mountainous, forested terrain in active typhoon conditions, with rescuers wading through waist-high mud earlier in the week.
The Kyoto Prefectural Pol¯ice had told ABC News earlier in the search that it was likely Weston intentionally left his family. Police believed he had gone to explore local hiking trails and had turned off his GPS, the family said in remarks.
Family launched private search on Saturday
After the Japanese police search concluded on Friday, the Higginbotham family launched their own search efforts with help from local residents and a hired search-and-rescue team, CNN reported. The private search focused on areas of the forests of Yamashina that police had not searched.
“We know he is out in these woods somewhere,” Nancy Higginbotham wrote in a Facebook update on Saturday morning.
It was a volunteer search-and-rescue group that found Weston’s body later that day.
Who was Weston Higginbotham?
Weston was a junior at Auburn University in Alabama studying biosystems engineering, a programme within the College of Agriculture focused on the sustainability of natural systems. He was a Spain Park High School graduate from Birmingham, Alabama, and had previously hiked the Pyrenees mountains in Europe alone, his mother told CNN.
His sister Hailey had described him as a devoted family member who often went exploring solo. Nancy Higginbotham had said her son, who lost his father to a heart condition, hoped to become a healthcare professional and wanted to help people suffering from heart-related illnesses.
“It runs in the family — they often go mountain biking, hiking and white water rafting together,” Nancy said.
US State Department, FBI, Alabama officials involved
Throughout the search, the Higginbothams thanked Japanese police, US diplomats, FBI agents, and Alabama officials for their efforts. A US State Department spokesperson had told reporters earlier in the search that the department has “no higher priority than the safety of Americans.”
The family’s thanks
Following the discovery of Weston’s body, the family thanked those who had shared their story and aided in the search.
“The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives,” the family wrote on Facebook. “Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support. We will need them now more than ever. We will always love you, Weston.”
(With inputs from CNN, WAFF, ABC News and NBC News)
James "Weston" Higginbotham, a Auburn University student, had gone missing in Kyoto, Japan, during a family vacation.(source: X/@ABC)
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