James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham death: Family friend says Auburn student wouldn't harm himself; went on ‘decompression’ hike
A family member of Auburn University student James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham has claimed that the 20-year-old who died in Japan enjoyed long strolls for “decompression” and would not have wanted to hurt himself. Search-and-rescue volunteers in Japan found James’ body after he went missing during a family vacation.
James went missing after he left to explore Kyoto on his own after an argument with his mother over her use of ChatGPT to navigate their trip.
Hiking at night in a foreign land might seem odd, but longtime neighbor and family friend Audrey Daniels said that James was “an experienced hiker and that was a mode of decompression for him as well,” per NBC News.
Daniels, 23, and another family friend, Jennifer Harper Bowen, both said they do not believe James would hurt himself.
“He was upset and he wanted space, so I don’t think he turned his phone off because he didn’t want to be found. He turned his phone off because he was upset,” Bowen, 39, whose son also studies at Auburn, said.
Read More | James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham’s mom says they argued about her ChatGPT use before he vanished, ‘Weston is very anti-AI…’
“I don’t think he intentionally ran away or tried to harm himself or anything like that. I think this is just a very bad set of circumstances and very bad timing,” Bowen added.
James was reportedly wearing a “Save the Bees” T-shirt when he vanished.
“He had such a big heart for his friends and family, for strangers, and especially, of course, for the environment,” Daniels said. “So he was definitely, definitely compassionate.”
“I’m going to remember him as such a fun kid to be around,” she added. “He was extremely smart, extremely well-rounded guy. Whenever he was at the house, it was such a joy to see him.”
What happened to James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham?
James’ parents used the Life360 app to track his location and saw him getting on a train and visiting various stores after he left following his argument with his mother. They texted him to ask where he was going, but his location was soon turned off, which his mother said was out of character for him.
James was last seen on CCTV footage walking alone in the city’s Yamashina area. That path led to a hiking trail in the nearby woods, according to CNN.
Read More | James ‘Weston’ Higginbotham’s death evokes flashbacks to Lucie Blackman case – examining 2 Japan tragedies
Police decided to search the forest on June 2 considering the camera’s location and James’ love for hiking. However, a storm that brought wind and heavy rain to the region that night disrupted their search efforts. More than 100 police officers, K-9s and helicopters were involved in the search.
The Higginbothams launched their own search later, with help from local residents and a hired search-and-rescue team.
James’ mother, Nancy Higginbotham, announced in a Facebook post that his body was found by a “volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto,” adding, “The grief we feel is impossible to put into words.”