The family of a 20-year-old American college student missing in Japan on Thursday pleaded with the public for help in finding him. File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo
The family of a 20-year-old American college student who went missing in Japan nearly a week ago is appealing to the public for help in locating him.
The parents of Auburn University student James “Weston” Higginbotham on Thursday spoke to CNN, People Magazine and local media in the Kyoto area in their quest to find their son, who disappeared during a family trip.
Weston’s mother Nancy Higginbotham said in a Facebook update that she had conducted 10 media interviews during what she called “a long, stressful day.”
“Today, dozens of Japanese police officers searched through waist-high mud in an effort to find Weston,” she wrote. “Search dogs and helicopters were also deployed. We had to wait in the apartment during the search.
“The search was extensive, and the officers were incredibly thorough in the difficult conditions. Based on what locals witnessed today, we have GREAT confidence in the professionalism and dedication of the Japanese authorities and do not believe any area within the search zone was overlooked. They are meticulous.”
Higginbotham said the area where Weston — a veteran hiker — is thought to have gone missing has food, in the form of berries, and water available in the hills north of Yamashina, Japan.
“There is still hope,” she added.
Police will continue their search on Friday by scanning additional closed circuit television footage and looking through forested areas.
Posters with Weston’s picture is being passed out at the train station in Yashamina, Japan.
“Our emotions are all over the place and every time we lose hope for a second, we receive an encouraging message from you. It keeps us going,” the student’s mother wrote. “We will find Weston.”
