A young boy who was abducted seven years ago at the age of seven has been found safe and in good health.
Abdul Aziz Khan, now 14, was kidnapped in 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia, and later appeared on the Netflix series Unsolved Mysteries. He was discovered by police in Colorado in February, quite by chance, when officers were responding to a burglary report.
The homeowner, who remains unidentified, spotted two intruders on his surveillance camera and called 911. When deputies from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office arrived, they found two children in the back of a car parked in the driveway.
One of the children was identified as Aziz, who had been missing for more than 1,500 miles away since 2017. As deputies spoke with Aziz and the other child, a man and woman were seen entering the burglarized house.
The couple claimed they were working with a realtor, but investigators later determined they had lied. The suspects were identified as Rabia Khalid, 40, and Elliott Blake Bourgeois, 42.
Authorities confirmed that one of the children was Khan, and that Khalid was his custodial mother, who had been wanted for kidnapping her son. Khalid had an active warrant for her arrest and is now facing charges of felony kidnapping.
Both Khalid and Bourgeois were arrested and booked into Douglas County Jail on multiple charges, including Second Degree Kidnapping, Forgery, Identity Theft, Providing False Information to Authorities, and Trespassing. Their bond was set at $1 million each.
Khan has been taken into protective custody, while the identity of the other child remains withheld.
In a family statement, they expressed, “We’re overwhelmed with joy that Aziz has finally been found. We want to thank everyone for their support over the last seven years, especially the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for their exceptional work in solving this case. As we navigate the next steps, we ask for privacy to allow our family to heal.”
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly noted, “What began as a routine trespassing call transformed into a significant discovery thanks to our deputies’ attention to detail and determination. Their ability to identify discrepancies in the suspects’ accounts ultimately led to the safe recovery of a child missing for seven long years.”
The U.S. Marshals Office reported that Khalid had failed to appear for a custody hearing in Atlanta, Georgia, in November 2017, at which point she packed her belongings and fled with her son and her new husband, Bourgeois.
This abduction stemmed from a protracted custody dispute between Abdul, the boy’s father, and Khalid. According to Missing Kids, the couple separated in 2014, after which Khalid moved with her son from New Orleans to Atlanta. Abdul had previously expressed frustration about Khalid’s obstructive behavior regarding visitation.
The Marshals Office stated it became evident that Khalid feared losing custody of her son, prompting her to abscond with him. This case was also featured in the Netflix series “Unsolved Mysteries,” with the Marshals Office expressing appreciation for the exposure it provided.
U.S. Marshal Enix Smith III of the Eastern District of Louisiana remarked, “This significant development follows a lengthy seven-year search. I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone involved in the recovery effort, particularly the authorities in Douglas County, Colorado, for their swift and effective response. We also thank NCMEC, Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries, and Crimestoppers GNO for helping to bring attention to this matter.”
