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Japanese police trudged through deep mud on Thursday in another unsuccessful day searching for a missing Auburn University student, who vanished after an argument with family over artificial intelligence.
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James “Weston” Higginbotham, 20, 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.
His mother, Nancy Higginbotham, said in a Thursday post on Facebook that rescuers searching for her son Thursday were “incredibly thorough in the difficult conditions.”
“It’s been a long, stressful day,” she said in the post. “Today, dozens of Japanese police officers searched through waist-high mud in an effort to find Weston. Search dogs and helicopters were also deployed.”
Weston Higginbotham walked away from his parents while on a family trip following an argument over ChatGPT, his mother told NBC News in a phone call from Japan.
The Auburn student, who majors in biosystems engineering, is devoted to sustainable design and opposes the world’s increasing reliance on A.I., Nancy Higginbotham said Friday morning local time.
“We had an argument because I was using ChatGPT too much to try to help us navigate the trip and find the best restaurants and do this and that,” she said.
“We try never to use it and I totally agree with him. It was just a dumb, dumb argument to have,” she added.
Higginbotham described her son as “emotionally distressed” following the argument but said she doesn’t believe he’s a danger to himself or strangers.
He doesn’t even stomp on spiders or insects, opting to carry them outside, she said.
“He’s such a pacifist. When he gets mad, he just likes retreat to himself,” Higginbotham said.
She said in her Thursday Facebook post that the family has 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,” she wrote. “The area where we believe Weston is missing has ample water and limited berries. There is still hope.”
Senior Breaking News Reporter
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