Abdul Aziz Khan, Who Disappeared from Georgia 7 Years Ago at Age 7, Found in Colorado — Why His Mother Now Faces Charges

A boy who was abducted from Georgia seven years ago has been found.

Abdul Aziz Khan, now 14, was found in Colorado on Feb. 23, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday, March 5.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called to a home on Kelliwood Way in Highlands Ranch, Colo., to investigate a burglary in progress around 3:37 p.m. on Feb. 23.

“A homeowner monitoring their security cameras for a house that he had for sale noticed some suspicious activity and immediately called the Sheriff’s office,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said during a news conference Wednesday.

Deputies soon arrived and encountered two children in a vehicle in the driveway.

Soon after, a female and male, who were later identified as Abdul’s mother, Rabia Khalid, and Elliot Blake Bourgeois, came out of the home and claimed to be “associated with a realtor,” per a Douglas County Sheriff’s Office press release.

Weekly said deputies “began to uncover inconsistencies in the suspect’s story.”

Deputies, he said, “worked tirelessly to verify the identities of everyone involved. They knew something wasn’t right. They were following their gut, and they investigated further. They just didn’t take it on face value and take the easy way out and move on. They dug and dug and dug for about five hours until they could figure out what was going on.”

Deputies eventually discovered that Khalid, 40, was wanted for kidnapping the boy, then 7, in Atlanta on Nov. 27, 2017.  Weekly said Khalid allegedly took Abdul “when it appeared the father was going to get full custody of the child.”

Khalid is facing several charges including conspiracy to kidnap, forgery, identity theft, and trespassing. Bourgeois, 42, is facing 14 charges including kidnapping, forgery, identity theft, providing false information to authorities, and trespassing.

Both children were taken into protective custody.

Authorities would not comment on the identity of the second child.

“We’re overwhelmed with joy that Aziz has finally been found,” Abdul’s family said in a statement released by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. “We want to thank everyone for their support over the last seven years. Now, as we navigate the next steps, we ask for privacy so that we can move forward as a family and heal together.”