Japanese join search for missing Auburn student as family refuses to give up hope

KYOTO, JAPAN: In an extraordinary turn of events, Japanese citizens are helping to comb the rugged mountain terrain in the search for missing Auburn student James “Weston” Higginbotham, after a week of unsuccessful official search efforts.

Weston, 20 went missing May 29 while on vacation in Japan with family. His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said the Alabama student walked out after an argument and was last seen walking alone near the border of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, headed toward a hiking trail in a densely wooded area.

Japanese volunteers rally around family's search effort

Weston's mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said she has been overwhelmed by the support her family has received from people across Japan.

That search began Saturday morning local time as hikers look in the steep, wooded terrain around Yamashina.

A young stranger from Tokyo is shutting down his business for a week to help.

Another volunteer dropped everything to provide transportation and translations for American parents desperate to find their son.

After obtaining permission from local authorities, the family publicly appealed for experienced hikers to help search the steep, forested terrain around Yamashina, where Weston was last seen on surveillance footage.

“The people have been incredible,” said Weston’s mother, Nancy Higginbotham.

He was last seen on CCTV footage walking alone near the border between Kyoto and Shiga prefectures – on a path that led to a hiking trail in the nearby woods.

“Anyone who knows Weston knows that he just loves to go outside and go for a walk at a trail, or go for a small hike, no matter what time of day,” Nancy told CNN’s Erin Burnett Friday.

“There were over 100 police officers there over the past 72 hours, including canines and helicopters, and they did not find anything,” Nancy said.

The family has also received assistance from local residents who have helped overcome language barriers. Nancy recalled contacting a volunteer translator through WhatsApp who arrived within 30 minutes and then spent hours helping her communicate with police and travel between government offices.

Family hires private rescue team after police scale back search

Weston disappeared during a family vacation celebrating his younger brother's high school graduation. After reportedly arguing with his mother, he left on his own and later turned off the location-sharing feature on his phone.

“We are going to hire our own search-and-rescue (team) to help us, as well as ask for help from the Kyoto citizens,” Nancy said, adding that via social media, they’ve been able to gather a group of people to help.

“We don’t want anybody to be in danger.”

One man who saw the family’s public plea from hundreds of miles away will travel to join the search.

“He is in Tokyo and is closing his business down for one week to come help us,” Nancy said.

“He wanted to do this because when he was in the United States, he had so many people helping him, and this is him paying it forward. And it just gave me chills. So I’m so grateful for any help we can get.”

Despite Weston being gone for over a week, Nancy feels confident with her son’s experience and survival skills, the group will find him.

“I know Weston. I know he’s in those woods, and I know he’s alive,” she told Burnett.

As volunteers spread across mountain trails and neighborhoods distributing flyers, the search for the missing American student continues with growing support from a community determined to help bring him home.