India, June 6 -- James Weston Higginbotham cause of death: Search and rescue volunteers in Japan have discovered the body of an Auburn University student, James "Weston" Higginbotham, who went missing during a family vacation, signifying a sorrowful conclusion to a frantic search that lasted several days across wooded mountains.

In a social media update, the family of Higginbotham confirmed that their 20-year-old son was found dead on Saturday near Kyoto.

"Our family is heartbroken to share that Weston was found deceased by a volunteer search-and-rescue group in a mountainous area outside of Kyoto. The grief we feel is impossible to put into words," the family said.

A devoted naturalist, Weston disappeared on May 29 after departing fro...