Missing U.S. student found dead near Kyoto, mother says

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New York - An American ⁠student who disappeared while on a family vacation in Japan was found dead outside Kyoto, his mother wrote in a Facebook post ​Saturday.

The body of James Higginbotham, ‌20, ‌was discovered in a mountainous area ​by a volunteer search-and-rescue group, Nancy Higginbotham wrote.

A cause of death and further ⁠details were not immediately available.

"Our family is heartbroken," she ⁠wrote. "The grief we feel is impossible to put into words."

Higginbotham, an ​Alabama resident and ⁠an engineering student at Auburn University who also goes by Weston, was last seen near Yamashina Station in the Kyoto area ​on May 29. Later that ​night, his phone went dark and ​its ‌location services were turned off, his mother previously said.

Until then, she was able to track his movements using ‌the app Life360, she said.

His parents believe he was heading to a nearby hiking trail. Nancy Higginbotham had said she ​believed ​her son may have "needed space."

The ​Higginbotham family was visiting Japan to celebrate the ⁠high school graduation of James Higginbotham's younger brother.

An initial search by Japanese authorities lasted three days and included around ​100 police officers, K-9 units and helicopters, but did not uncover any trace of him, CNN reported.