Japanese police trudged through waist-high mud to search for a missing Auburn University student on Thursday, but his parents said they remained optimistic about their son’s chances of being rescued.
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In a statement late Thursday, his mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said Thursday’s “incredibly thorough” search by rescue workers for James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, was conducted under “difficult conditions.”
“It’s been a long and stressful day,” she posted. “Today, dozens of Japanese police officers searched through waist-high mud to find Weston. Search dogs and helicopters were also deployed.”
Higginbotham was last seen at Kyoto Station on Friday, and a massive search by police and local volunteers has been launched, her family said.
Higginbotham’s loved ones said they still have “great confidence in the professionalism and dedication of the Japanese authorities and do not believe that any area within the search area was overlooked.”
“They are very careful,” the mother added. “There is plenty of water in the area where Weston is believed to be missing, but fruit is limited. There is still hope.”
