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Thanking those who assisted with the search for Weston, including Japanese and American authorities, as well as those who have reached out and prayed, she wrote, “The outpouring of kindness and support has carried us through the darkest days of our lives.”
Nearing the conclusion of her post, she wrote, “We shared our story here and in the media in the hope of finding Weston. We now ask for privacy as we begin to navigate this unimaginable loss.”
Noting the Higginbotham family will need prayers “now more than ever,” she simply ended her post by writing, “Weston, we will always love you.”
See Nancy’s heartbreaking social media post about her son being found dead, here:
More On Weston’s Parents’ Search For Their Son, And Their Emotional Video Statement
Weston was believed to have exited at the Yamashina train station, and that was the primary location of the search for the Auburn University student.
In a June 1 post on Facebook, Nancy described her son, saying, “Weston is a very experienced hiker and this town has beautiful nature trails. He may have intentionally chosen a quiet trail from Yamashina, especially Bishamon-do, Lake Biwa Canal, Misasagi, Keage/Nanzen-ji, Kyoto Trail, Mount Otowa, or Daigo/Kami-Daigo.”
Nancy added that a typhoon was hitting the area, but she and her husband were still searching for Weston.
“My husband and I went last night with flashlights and headlamps and didn’t get too far because we weren’t prepared for the wildlife we encountered,” she wrote.
In a video statement, Nancy and Keith spoke about their son’s disappearance, prayerfully asking for help in locating him.
“I just want to thank you all so much for your continuous thoughts and prayers,” Nancy said. “We truly feel them, and I want to thank everybody who was at Asbury right now at the vigil praying for Weston and our family. We do feel the love and the support that you have given us and that the community in Japan has given us as well.”
Keith then said, “Every comment, every share, everything that you all have done has led us to where we are now. We’re continuing to get closer and closer.”
Nancy noted that every time that someone posts about Weston on social media that it’s “an opportunity for someone in Japan to see it,” with Nancy saying her “ultimate goal” is to make sure people in Japan know to be looking for Weston.
“If you know Weston, you know what a great kid he is,” Nancy said. “He has a heart of gold, and we all want him to come back safely.”
Watch their emotional video statement, here:
Nancy provided the following description of what Weston looks like, prefacing that Weston “may be emotionally distressed, so this is urgent,” listing the following details:
Name: James “Weston” Higginbotham
Age: 20;
Height: 185cm (6′
1″);
Hair: Blonde Long;
Eyes: Blue;
Clothing last seen wearing: Shirt (white front, on the back it says “Save the Bees” with two bumblebees), Lavender corduroy pants with a large cuff, beat up adidas white with black stripes and wide shoelaces);
Bag: Shoulder bag (not backpack) with the state of Alabama on it; and
Phone: location turned off.
She also wrote, “Please be kind. We are in our own living hell. He is not detained from a night out partying. The police have confirmed this. Please, I beg you, be kind. I’m already in so much pain.”
Leading up to the discovery of Weston’s body, approximately 50 police officers, helicopters, and K9 units were deployed to Weston’s last known location, in Yamashina.
Watch Nancy and Keith’s video statement from June 6, hours before their son was found deceased, here: