Kidnapped by his own mother Police discover teenager seven years after his abduction
A woman and a man are detained while breaking into a home near Denver, Colorado. Then it turns out: they have a boy with them who was abducted seven years ago.
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- A 14-year-old boy is discovered near Denver, Colorado, seven years after his abduction.
- This follows a home invasion during which the boy's mother was arrested.
- The mother is said to have abducted her son when it became apparent that the custody dispute with the father would end unfavorably for her.
A teenager who was allegedly abducted by his mother in Atlanta seven years ago has been found alive in Colorado, NBC News reports. Authorities said Wednesday they discovered the boy's mother breaking into a home south of Denver and arrested her.
Douglas County Sheriff's Office officers discovered 14-year-old Abdul Aziz Khan in a car outside the home on Feb. 23. Federal authorities had been searching for him in 11 states for five years without success, said Kirk Taylor, the U.S. Marshal for Colorado. The case had "really become a cold case," he told reporters on Wednesday.
Rabia Khalid, 40, and Elliot Bourgeois, 42, were arrested after the homeowner watched them enter the vacant and for-sale home via a security camera, Sheriff Darren Weekly reported.
Khalid and Bourgeois initially claimed to be associated with a real estate agent. But authorities eventually discovered Khalid's true identity and a Louisiana warrant for his arrest for kidnapping, Weekly said.
Kidnapped after custody dispute
Khalid was charged with conspiracy to kidnap and other offenses, 23rd Judicial District District Attorney George Brauchler said. Bourgeois was also charged with numerous crimes, including kidnapping. Both are in custody with bail set at one million dollars.
Aziz was abducted as a seven-year-old after a custody dispute in Atlanta in November 2017. Criminal charges were pending against his father, but were dropped when it became apparent he would be granted custody, Weekly explained.
The case of the boy abducted by his mother was also featured in the Netflix series "Unsolved Mysteries".
Return to family "a transition"
It was unclear whether Aziz had known that he had been abducted. When the officers approached him, he immediately called Khalid and Bourgeois and seemed prepared for what to say to the authorities, according to Weekly.
Aziz and another child in the vehicle, whose identity is not being released, appeared healthy, Sheriff Weekly said. Both were taken into protective custody.
Weekly described the reunification of Aziz with his family as a "transition" and said the process is ongoing.
In a statement released by the Sheriff's Office, the family expressed relief that Aziz had been found and thanked the family for the support they have received over the past seven years. "Now, as we take the next steps, we ask for privacy so we can move forward as a family and recover together."
The editor wrote this article with the help of AI.