KYOTO (TR) – Police in Kyoto City have launched a search for a 20-year-old American tourist who vanished without a trace while on a family vacation last week, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 3).
James Weston Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University student, separated from his family and left their Kyoto hotel alone at around 6:00 p.m. on May 29. He has not been seen or heard from since, prompting his worried relatives to file a missing person report with the Higashiyama Police Station the following day.
According to his family, he was last seen on surveillance footage exiting a train at Yamashina Station and stopping at a hardware store. Extensive search efforts are actively underway.
According to Kyoto Prefectural Police, security camera footage captured Higginbotham walking along a street in the city’s Yamashina Ward at approximately 8:00 p.m. on the night he disappeared.
On June 3, a search party of roughly 50 police officers scoured the mountainous and forested areas of Yamashina Ward, but the search yielded no clues as to his whereabouts.
Higginbotham is described as standing 188 centimeters tall with a medium build and long blonde hair. At the time of his disappearance, he was wearing a white T-shirt bearing the words “Save the Bees,” light purple trousers and carrying a beige tote bag.
Police noted that while he had his smartphone in his possession, he was carrying very little cash. Authorities are continuing their search efforts and are urging the public to come forward with any information regarding his disappearance.
Persons with information on the case are advised to call the Higashiyama Police Station at 075-525-0110.
