Japanese police trudged through waist-high mud on Thursday in another unsuccessful day searching for a missing Auburn University student, though his parents said they remain optimistic about their son’s potential rescue.
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Thursday’s efforts by “incredibly thorough” rescuers to find James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, were conducted in “difficult conditions,” his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said in a statement.
“It’s been a long, stressful day,” she posted. “Today, dozens of Japanese police officers searched through waist-high mud in an effort to find Weston. Search dogs and helicopters were also deployed.”
James “Weston” Higginbotham.via Facebook
Higginbotham was last seen Friday at the Kyoto train station, and his disappearance has prompted a massive search by police and local volunteers, the family has said.
Higginbotham’s loved ones said they have great “confidence in the professionalism and dedication of the Japanese authorities and do not believe any area within the search zone was overlooked.”
“They are meticulous,” the mother added. “The area where we believe Weston is missing has ample water and limited berries. There is still hope.”
