James Weston Higginbotham case update: Auburn student’s family breaks silence after his body is found in Japan

Weston, a 20-year-old junior majoring in biosystems engineering at Auburn University, disappeared on May 29 while traveling with his parents in the Kyoto area.

Japanese authorities, volunteers, local residents and members of the Higginbotham family spent days searching for him until a volunteer search and rescue team found his body in woods outside Kyoto on Saturday.

The discovery brought a heartbreaking conclusion to a search and rescue operation that mobilized police, K-9 units, helicopters and volunteers across the treacherous terrain near Kyoto.

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

Nancy also expressed her gratitude to supporters around the world who shared information about Weston’s disappearance and participated in the search.

“We are forever grateful to the countless people in the United States, Japan, and around the world who shared Weston’s story, prayed for our family, offered encouragement, and helped find jobs,” she wrote. “The outpouring of kindness and support helped us get through some of the darkest days of our lives.”

The grieving mother concluded her statement by asking the family to respect privacy as they deal with the tragedy.

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

Read more: James Weston Higginbotham: Five things to know about missing Auburn University student found dead in Japan

Investigators and the Higginbotham family then focused their search on nearby hiking trails and mountainous terrain, as Weston was known to enjoy hiking and outdoor activities.

Nancy previously told NBC News that her son left over a disagreement during the family vacation. She said the family was worried he might be “emotionally depressed” when he left.

According to reports, on June 3, Japanese authorities deployed about 50 police officers, helicopters and search and rescue dogs to search the forest area around Yamashina.

On June 6, Weston’s body was discovered.