Aziz had been missing since 2017 (Image: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
A teenager whose seven-year disappearance was the subject of a documentary has finally been found after his kidnapper appeared to make a major mistake. Abdul Aziz Khan, 14, was discovered in the backseat of a car after police responded to calls of a burglary in Aurora, Colorado. It comes seven years after he vanished from his home in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 27, 2017.
Rabia Khalid, the boy’s mother, is suspected of kidnapping the child as she fled Georgia with husband Elliot Blake Bourgeois. The boy’s father, Dr Abdul Khan, had no idea of his child’s whereabouts after his ex-wife appeared to abduct the boy without saying a word. “There’s just an immense sense of pride that we were able to bring this seven-year-long mystery to a close and to start the process of reunification with Aziz and his dad, though that is going to be a process – they’re not together; that’s going to be slow,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren M Weekly
Rabia Khalid, the child’s mother, was the suspected of kidnapper (Image: Douglas County Sheriff’s Office)
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‘s Unsolved Mysteries revealed how Khalid and her husband abandoned the Atlanta apartment, with the pair only resurfacing seven years later.
It comes after police responded to calls from a Colorado homeowner reporting suspicious activity on their vacant home’s security camera, local Fox affiliate reported.
Officers found two children sitting in a car parked in the driveway as the two suspects left the home.
The suspects told the authorities they worked with the realtor selling the home.
However, the sheriff’s office said they noticed differences in the pairs’ version of events.
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The deputies identified the suspects as Khalid and Bourgeois following four hours of questioning. They also identified Aziz as one of the car’s passengers. However, police have not revealed the identity of the second child.
Sheriff Weekly told KDVR: “Their ability to recognise the discrepancies in the suspects’ story and to follow the leads, even when the situation seemed unclear, ultimately led to the safe recovery of a child who had been missing for seven long years.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the work done by our team; this case highlights the commitment of our officers to seek justice and protect the most vulnerable. It’s a reminder of the incredible difference our work makes in the lives of those we serve.”
Khalid and Bourgeois were charged with second-degree kidnapping, trespassing, forgery, identity theft, and giving false information to authorities.
They are being held on a $1million bond each.
As Khalid is Aziz’s mother, she is being charged with a conspiracy to kidnap becuase the law stipulates you cannot kidnap your own child. But Bourgeois, who has no blood relation to the teen, is being charged with kidnapping.
A neighbor in the area told DailyMail.com on Wednesday he saw arrests as they happened.
The witness, who gave the name Ken, said he spotted a “tall” kid in the back of the car who “looked about my height”. He said the other child looked like “a baby, I think – a little kid”.
Aziz’s family said in a statement following the arrests: “We’re overwhelmed with joy that Aziz has finally been found. We want to thank everyone for their support over the last seven years. We specifically want to recognize the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office for their exceptional work in solving this case. Now, as we navigate the next steps, we ask for privacy so that we can move forward as a family and heal together.”