Auburn student Weston Higginbotham found dead in Japan after weeklong search, mom confirms

The household of James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old Auburn University pupil who vanished during a household abrogation successful Japan successful precocious May, confirmed Saturday that helium has been recovered dead.

In a connection connected Facebook Saturday morning, Higginbotham's mother, Nancy, revealed that her son's assemblage was discovered by a unpaid search-and-rescue radical successful a mountainous country extracurricular of Kyoto.

"Our household is heartbroken," Nancy Higginbotham wrote successful the post. "... The grief we consciousness is intolerable to enactment into words."

James "Weston" Higginbotham, 20, vanished successful Japan during a household trip, according to his mother. Police judge his past known determination was Yamashina Station, eastbound of Kyoto. (Facebook/Nancy Higginbotham )

The household expressed their heavy gratitude to the radical crossed the U.S., Japan and the globe who offered prayers and assisted successful the hunt efforts.

"The outpouring of kindness and enactment has carried america done the darkest days of our lives," she said, pleading for privateness arsenic the household begins to navigate the loss.

"We are everlastingly grateful for the clip we had with our sweet, precious Weston, but cannot statesman to recognize what beingness without him volition beryllium like," his parent wrote. "… Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and support. We volition request them present much than ever. We volition ever emotion you, Weston."

The update comes aft a massive, multinational search. 

The 20-year-old hiker was past seen May 29 adjacent Yamashina Station, conscionable eastbound of Kyoto, aft being separated from his parents pursuing household "bickering," Fox News Digital antecedently reported.

His parents were capable to way him adjacent a stream and boarding a bid via the Life360 app earlier his telephone determination abruptly went dark.

The household had antecedently held retired anticipation that helium would beryllium recovered alive, telling Fox News Digital earlier successful the week that helium knew however to forage and was "built to endure."

Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this report.