Auburn Student Vanishes on Family Trip to Japan

Family and authorities in two countries are searching for an Alabama college student who vanished while traveling in Japan. Police said James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University environmental engineering student, was last spotted getting off a train in Kyoto's Yamashina area on May 29 during a family trip celebrating his younger brother's graduation. Japanese police have deployed about 50 officers, tracking dogs, and helicopters and are reviewing extensive CCTV footage, AL.com reports. His parents, Nancy and Keith Higginbotham, are in Japan searching. "He may be emotionally distressed," his mother wrote, "so this is urgent."

Nancy Higginbotham has told local expat groups that her son may be in emotional distress and asked that anyone who spots him avoid posting his exact location publicly. She said he's an experienced traveler who was last seen in a white "Save the Bees" shirt, lavender corduroy pants, and worn white Adidas, carrying a shoulder bag with an Alabama outline. He's 6 feet 1 inch tall, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. His parents said he might have headed for a hiking trail from Yamashina, per People. US and Alabama officials said they're engaged, and the family has publicly thanked Japanese and US authorities and volunteers for their help.