What began as a family trip to Japan turned into every parent’s worst nightmare.

After more than a week of desperate searching, hope, and prayers from around the world, the family of James “Weston” Higginbotham has confirmed the heartbreaking news they feared most. The 20-year-old Auburn University student, who vanished during a vacation in Japan, has been found dead.

Now, his grieving mother is speaking publicly for the first time, sharing a message filled with love, sorrow, and gratitude.

“The grief we feel is impossible to put into words,” Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham, wrote in an emotional social media statement after search teams located her son’s remains near Kyoto.

Her words captured the devastating reality facing a family whose lives have been forever changed.

“We are forever grateful for the time we had with our sweet, precious Weston,” she wrote, “but cannot begin to understand what life without him will be like.”

The tragedy has drawn international attention since Weston first disappeared on May 29 while traveling with his parents in Japan.

According to family members, the trip had begun as an opportunity to explore one of the world’s most fascinating countries together. Instead, it became a desperate search spanning days and involving police officers, volunteers, helicopters, search dogs, and countless strangers who rallied behind the family.

Weston, a junior at Auburn University studying biosystems engineering, was last seen on surveillance cameras in the Kyoto area after exiting a train in Yamashina.

Authorities later determined that his final known phone activity occurred that same evening.

His mother previously explained that Weston had walked away after a disagreement during the family trip. Concerned for his emotional well-being, his parents immediately began searching and alerting local authorities.

As the days passed, fear grew.

Nancy and her husband Keith spent countless hours combing through rugged terrain, often carrying flashlights and headlamps as they searched trails and wooded areas themselves.

At one point, Nancy described encountering difficult wildlife and dangerous conditions while searching after dark.

A powerful storm moving through the region complicated rescue efforts even further.

Despite the obstacles, support poured in from around the globe.

Thousands shared missing-person posters online. Strangers translated information into Japanese. Volunteers joined search efforts. Social media users followed every update, hoping for a miracle.

The family never stopped believing they might find Weston alive.

Large-scale searches were organized. Police deployed helicopters and canine teams. Searchers combed steep and muddy terrain around Kyoto.

Yet with each passing day, uncertainty weighed heavily on everyone involved.

Then came the devastating discovery.

Volunteer search-and-rescue personnel located Weston’s remains outside Kyoto, bringing a tragic end to the search that had captured international attention.

While authorities have not publicly released extensive details regarding the circumstances surrounding his death, the discovery shattered the hopes of those who had followed the case.

In her statement, Nancy expressed profound gratitude to everyone who supported the family throughout the ordeal.

She thanked the countless individuals across Japan, the United States, and many other countries who shared Weston’s story, prayed for the family, and participated in search efforts.

“The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives,” she wrote.

Those words reflected not only heartbreak but also appreciation for a worldwide community that rallied around a family in crisis.

For many who followed the story, Weston became far more than a missing-person case.

He was a son, a student, a traveler, and a young man with his future ahead of him.

Friends and supporters have described him as intelligent, adventurous, and deeply loved by those who knew him.

Now, his family faces the painful task of moving forward without him.

As they begin navigating an unimaginable loss, Nancy has asked for privacy and continued prayers.

“Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support,” she wrote. “We will need them now more than ever.”

Her message concluded with words no parent ever wants to say.

“We will always love you, Weston.”

For a family whose vacation became a tragedy, those words now stand as a lasting tribute to a young life gone far too soon.