{"id":32395,"date":"2026-06-06T15:43:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:43:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/timeline-key-moments-in-the-james-weston-higginbotham-search-effort\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T15:43:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T15:43:39","slug":"timeline-key-moments-in-the-james-weston-higginbotham-search-effort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/06\/timeline-key-moments-in-the-james-weston-higginbotham-search-effort\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeline: Key moments in the James \u2018Weston\u2019 Higginbotham search effort"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-editable=\"content\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-reorderable=\"content\">\n<div data-editable=\"aiSummary\" class=\"article__ai-summary-wrapper\">\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/ai-article-summary\/instances\/cmq14j7uy000z3b6rzcpug0br@published\" class=\"ai-article-summary hidden  \" data-article-gutter=\"true\" data-selector-brand=\"accent-ai\">\n    <button class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle\"><br \/>\n        <strong class=\"ai-article-summary__title\"><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__stars-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\">\n    <path d=\"M16.7322 12.6297L14.7237 12.0545C13.8192 11.7989 12.9952 11.315 12.3307 10.6491C11.6662 9.98311 11.1834 9.15741 10.9284 8.25095L10.3544 6.23807C10.3255 6.16765 10.2764 6.10741 10.2133 6.06502C10.1502 6.02263 10.076 6 10 6C9.92403 6 9.84978 6.02263 9.78667 6.06502C9.72357 6.10741 9.67446 6.16765 9.6456 6.23807L9.07163 8.25095C8.81662 9.15741 8.33377 9.98311 7.66926 10.6491C7.00476 11.315 6.18084 11.7989 5.27634 12.0545L3.26781 12.6297C3.19069 12.6516 3.12281 12.6982 3.07448 12.7623C3.02615 12.8264 3 12.9045 3 12.9848C3 13.0652 3.02615 13.1433 3.07448 13.2074C3.12281 13.2715 3.19069 13.3181 3.26781 13.34L5.27634 13.9152C6.18084 14.1708 7.00476 14.6547 7.66926 15.3206C8.33377 15.9866 8.81662 16.8123 9.07163 17.7187L9.6456 19.7316C9.66749 19.8089 9.71393 19.8769 9.77789 19.9254C9.84185 19.9738 9.91983 20 10 20C10.0802 20 10.1581 19.9738 10.2221 19.9254C10.2861 19.8769 10.3325 19.8089 10.3544 19.7316L10.9284 17.7187C11.1834 16.8123 11.6662 15.9866 12.3307 15.3206C12.9952 14.6547 13.8192 14.1708 14.7237 13.9152L16.7322 13.34C16.8093 13.3181 16.8772 13.2715 16.9255 13.2074C16.9738 13.1433 17 13.0652 17 12.9848C17 12.9045 16.9738 12.8264 16.9255 12.7623C16.8772 12.6982 16.8093 12.6516 16.7322 12.6297Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n    <path d=\"M19.8852 5.84129L19.0244 5.59477C18.6368 5.48524 18.2837 5.27786 17.9989 4.99245C17.7141 4.70705 17.5072 4.35317 17.3979 3.96469L17.1519 3.10203C17.1395 3.07185 17.1185 3.04603 17.0914 3.02787C17.0644 3.0097 17.0326 3 17 3C16.9674 3 16.9356 3.0097 16.9086 3.02787C16.8815 3.04603 16.8605 3.07185 16.8481 3.10203L16.6021 3.96469C16.4928 4.35317 16.2859 4.70705 16.0011 4.99245C15.7163 5.27786 15.3632 5.48524 14.9756 5.59477L14.1148 5.84129C14.0817 5.85069 14.0526 5.87064 14.0319 5.89811C14.0112 5.92558 14 5.95907 14 5.9935C14 6.02794 14.0112 6.06143 14.0319 6.0889C14.0526 6.11637 14.0817 6.13632 14.1148 6.14572L14.9756 6.39224C15.3632 6.50176 15.7163 6.70915 16.0011 6.99455C16.2859 7.27996 16.4928 7.63383 16.6021 8.02231L16.8481 8.88498C16.8575 8.9181 16.8774 8.94725 16.9048 8.96801C16.9322 8.98877 16.9656 9 17 9C17.0344 9 17.0678 8.98877 17.0952 8.96801C17.1226 8.94725 17.1425 8.9181 17.1519 8.88498L17.3979 8.02231C17.5072 7.63383 17.7141 7.27996 17.9989 6.99455C18.2837 6.70915 18.6368 6.50176 19.0244 6.39224L19.8852 6.14572C19.9183 6.13632 19.9474 6.11637 19.9681 6.0889C19.9888 6.06143 20 6.02794 20 5.9935C20 5.95907 19.9888 5.92558 19.9681 5.89811C19.9474 5.87064 19.9183 5.85069 19.8852 5.84129Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n            <span>Summary<\/span><br \/>\n        <\/strong><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle-caret-up\" aria-label=\"Toggle Article Summary\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-ui-caret-up\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12.478 6.21a.637.637 0 00-.946 0L2.206 16.229c-.225.243-.28.633-.093.91.237.355.7.385.975.089l8.917-9.579 8.878 9.537c.225.243.589.301.847.101a.721.721 0 00.082-1.048L12.478 6.211z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__toggle-caret-down\" aria-label=\"Toggle Article Summary\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"icon-ui-caret-down\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path d=\"M12.478 17.218a.637.637 0 01-.946 0L2.206 7.2c-.225-.242-.28-.632-.093-.91a.613.613 0 01.975-.088l8.917 9.579 8.878-9.538c.225-.242.589-.3.847-.1.33.255.357.752.082 1.048l-9.334 10.027z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n<\/span><br \/>\n    <\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"ai-article-summary__collapsible\">\n<ul class=\"ai-article-summary__items\" data-editable=\"settings\">\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">James &#8220;Weston&#8221; Higginbotham, an Auburn University student and environmentalist, disappeared while exploring Kyoto alone during a family trip.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">Surveillance footage captured him near hiking trails in a mountainous area before he vanished.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ai-article-summary__item\">His family has launched its own search efforts after Japanese police concluded a 72-hour official search.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\n            <span class=\"ai-article-summary__disclaimer-text\">AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq0zuxqj001q28qd35jkfbja@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The parents of an <a href=\"https:\/\/us.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/weston-missing-american-student-japan-hnk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American college student missing in Japan<\/a> are not giving up on finding their son, even after they say police finished searching the dense forest he was spotted walking toward more than a week ago.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11n6re00003b6r7erendr1@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/05\/us\/james-weston-higginbotham-japan-search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">James \u201cWeston\u201d Higginbotham<\/a>, a 20-year-old junior at Auburn University and a passionate environmentalist, was traveling in the Kyoto area with his family when he vanished while exploring the city alone \u2013 shortly after having a disagreement with his mother over her use of AI to help with navigation, and the natural resources such a tool requires.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11now400033b6rla1td3z4@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            While authorities scaled back resources from the search, the family has launched its own efforts to locate Weston with the help of local residents.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11nujo00053b6rr21ec2cv@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe\u2019re not going to leave (Japan) until we find Weston,\u201d his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, told CNN earlier this week.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11nujo00063b6ra924tk6t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Here\u2019s the timeline of the events leading to the student\u2019s disappearance and the search to find him:\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmq11e4r30006356r4402dpnb@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate vossi-image_large-elevate  image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"clipped thumbnail - missing-american-japan-kyoto - CNN ID 22684311 - 00:02:07;14\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"679\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_679,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"967\" media=\"(min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_967,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/videothumbnails\/83351123-64558009-generated-thumbnail.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\" alt=\"Nancy and Keith Higginbotham show a picture of their 20-year-old son James, who goes by \u201cWeston.\u201d\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1080\" width=\"1920\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11qkpa000a3b6r1cs5as3b@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The family, hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, arrives in Japan to celebrate the high school graduation of Weston\u2019s younger brother. They visit a number of cities, including Tokyo, Nikko and Takayama, before heading to Kyoto.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11qkpb000c3b6r19xgm921@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The family arrives in Kyoto, where they enjoy a meal and walk around town before heading to their hotel to rest and regroup. At some point, Weston clashes with his mother over her use of ChatGPT, and decides to explore Kyoto by himself while the rest of the family visits a nearby temple.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11qkpb000d3b6r2496fph3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Using the Life360 app to track his location, his parents see Weston jump on a train, visit several stores and make a purchase. They text him to ask where he is going, and his location is turned off shortly afterward, which was out of character for him, his mother said.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11qkpb000e3b6rab1fs5kd@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <strong>\ufeffAround 6 p.m.: <\/strong>Weston leaves Kyoto Station alone, according to police.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11qkpb000f3b6rnqt7dt2d@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <strong>Around 8 p.m.:<\/strong> In the last sighting of Weston, CCTV footage captured him walking alone in the Yamashina area, which lies on the border between Kyoto and Shiga prefectures. The area is mountainous and heavily forested, and the CCTV camera was on a path leading to hiking trails.\n    <\/p>\n<div data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/image\/instances\/cmq11f62k0000356rzq0vkxxy@published\" class=\"image_large-elevate vossi-image_large-elevate  image_large__hide-placeholder\" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-name=\"still_22684754_2963936_still.jpg\" data-component-name=\"image\" data-observe-resizes=\"\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\" data-original-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-original-height=\"1080\" data-original-width=\"1920\" data-url=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original\" data-editable=\"settings\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n<div class=\"image_large__container \" data-image-variation=\"image_large\" data-breakpoints=\"{\" image_large--eq-extra-small=\"\">\n       <picture class=\"image_large__picture\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"679\" media=\"(max-width: 479px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_679,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"967\" media=\"(min-width: 480px) and (max-width: 767px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_967,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><source height=\"undefined\" width=\"860\" media=\"(min-width: 1280px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\/f_webp\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/still-22684754-2963936-still.jpg?c=original&amp;q=w_860,c_fill\" alt=\"James \" weston=\"\" higginbotham=\"\" has=\"\" plenty=\"\" of=\"\" experience=\"\" outdoors=\"\" as=\"\" his=\"\" family=\"\" often=\"\" goes=\"\" mountain=\"\" biking=\"\" hiking=\"\" and=\"\" white=\"\" water=\"\" rafting=\"\" together=\"\" according=\"\" to=\"\" this=\"\" mother.=\"\" class=\"image_large__dam-img image_large__dam-img--loading\" onload=\"this.classList.remove('image_large__dam-img--loading')\" onerror=\"imageLoadError(this)\" height=\"1080\" width=\"1920\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11txa2000a356rvmf88wyy@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            <strong>Around 2 a.m.:<\/strong> The family reports Weston missing to local authorities.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11txa3000b356r68ahp3r2@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            In the days that follow, Nancy begins a social media campaign to raise awareness and look for leads, including posting on Reddit and Facebook.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11utf2000i356rrlfpjmxc@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The information from CCTV cameras, captured on May 29, was not confirmed until June 2. Given the camera\u2019s location near the trail and Weston\u2019s love of hiking, police decided to search the forest, but were hindered by a storm that brought wind and heavy rain to the region that night.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11vkhg000m356rc2pv7h7t@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Police begin searching the mountains near Yamashina with dozens of officers, a helicopter, and police dogs.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11vn5z000o356rumy5y51k@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Officials cited concerns for Weston\u2019s safety during the storm if he was in the mountains at the time \u2013 though they added it\u2019s possible he had already moved out of the area.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11wk84000u356rxot6veba@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The police search continues, focused on the forests of Yamashina.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11wlpb000w356rh5sfs81p@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The family has been in touch with the US Embassy in Japan and the FBI, Nancy said. The FBI told CNN it is \u201cready to assist our international partners with any requests for assistance.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11wlpb000x356remhup8gt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The family will stay in Japan until they find Weston, Nancy said, with help from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-the-search-for-weston-higginbotham\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GoFundMe<\/a> created by community members back home.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11x1tw000z356rn653rpry@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            A 72-hour police search of the densely wooded area where Weston was last spotted walking toward ends, according to the family. The search involved more than 100 police officers, K-9s and helicopters.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq1231xd0015356r1d798hus@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The police investigation continues as law enforcement collects CCTV footage and monitors for bank card activity, the family tells CNN.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq1231xd0016356rjp2gi68m@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The family announces plans to hire their own search and rescue team and enlist the help of volunteers, particularly those with experience hiking challenging terrain, to continue the search for Weston.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq27c66h0001356re79kehvt@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            Weston\u2019s father, Keith Higginbotham, hikes about eight miles into the Higashiyama mountain range to prepare for the search and \u201cget a good lay of the land.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq11xan90013356rxb0jfmgm@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            The Higginbothams<strong> <\/strong>meet with local residents and a hired search and rescue team at a local coffee shop. From there they launch their own search efforts, focused on areas of the forests of Yamashina that police did not search, according to the family.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq27nm2l0005356rn9zd2uz3@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cIt\u2019s really thick, it\u2019s really steep in a lot of spots, and just a lot of ground to cover. So we\u2019re going to chip away at it little by little,\u201d Keith says.\n    <\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph-elevate inline-placeholder vossi-paragraph_elevate\" data-uri=\"cms.cnn.com\/_components\/paragraph\/instances\/cmq27i7hs0003356rrdvvzzbp@published\" data-editable=\"text\" data-component-name=\"paragraph\" data-article-gutter=\"true\">\n            \u201cWe know he is out in these woods somewhere,\u201d Nancy writes in an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/v\/1BfB9pLcHa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">update on Facebook<\/a>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary James &#8220;Weston&#8221; Higginbotham, an Auburn University student and environmentalist, disappeared while exploring Kyoto alone during a family trip. Surveillance<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_animmysite_disable_animation":false,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/media.cnn.com\/api\/v1\/images\/stellar\/prod\/9f36d525-9841-4f45-a725-164.jpg?c=16x9&q=w_800,c_fill","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[213],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending-sports-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32395"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32395\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trendifyhubusa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}