Auburn University Student Missing in Dense Mountain Forest Near Kyoto After Leaving Family at Train Station

James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University engineering student, has been missing since May 29 near Kyoto, Japan. He was last seen leaving the Yamashina train station after deciding to stay behind while his parents and brother visited a nearby temple following lunch that day.

His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, told CBS News the two had argued earlier in the trip over her use of ChatGPT.

She described the topic as "a sore subject" and said she had been relying on the tool because she found Japan difficult to navigate. Weston Higginbotham, who studies sustainability engineering, opposes AI in part because of its water consumption, she said. That evening, the parents saw his location move on a family tracking app and texted him without reply.

They believe he headed toward a nearby trail, where he may have become injured or lost in dense mountain forest that extends for long distances. "My fear is that he got hurt and that he's stuck," Nancy Higginbotham said. "My fear is that he doesn't have enough food because there is plenty of water, and that he's lost.

Those mountains, that forest goes for a very long time and ... " Police conducted a three-day search involving 100 officers, K9 units, and helicopters but found no sign of him and have concluded operations in the area. The family is now hiring a private search-and-rescue team in Japan at a cost expected to exceed $100,000.

"We have complete confidence that we are going to find him," said his father, Keith Higginbotham. The family stated they will not leave Japan without their son.