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Boy, missing since 2017, found after deputies respond to trespassing call at Colorado home
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HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — A now 14-year-old boy who was 7 when he was abducted by his non-custodial mother in 2017 was found in Douglas County after deputies responded to a possible burglary late last month, according to the sheriff's office.
Rabia Khalid and Elliot Blake Bourgeois were arrested on Feb. 23, and each face multiple felony charges.
Khalid, who lived in Atlanta at the time, took off with her son Abdul Aziz Khan in November 2017, shortly after the boy's father was granted full custody, Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said.
Aziz's family released a statement saying they were "overwhelmed with joy" that he was 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.”
Weekly noted that Khalid and the boy's father were involved in a contentious divorce and that Khalid made accusations against the boy's father in Louisiana, but the case was dismissed, and he was granted custody. She failed to turn the boy over to his father and "absconded" with the boy, according to the sheriff.
"I got to meet with them [Aziz's family] for about an hour yesterday in my office. They explained the story to me about how this all started. They had a tough time actually getting law enforcement to be responsive, because this, on the front end, it appeared to be a custody dispute," Weekly said.
It wasn't until 2020 that the U.S. Marshal's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana became involved.
On Feb. 23, Douglas County deputies responded to a trespassing call at a home on Kelliwood Way in Highlands Ranch. The home was vacant and for sale, but the owner was monitoring it with security cameras and reported "suspicious activity" to the sheriff's office.
Kyle Crone, the homeowner, described to 9NEWS how he received the alert on his cell phone that someone was at the front door.
"For whatever reason, maybe by the grace of God, I happen to look at my camera this time," Crone said.
Deputies went to the home and contacted two children who were inside a vehicle in the driveway.
While deputies were there, Khalid and Bourgeois exited the home and claimed they were associated with the realtor, the sheriff's office said.
"As the deputies began to investigate further, they began to uncover inconsistencies in the suspects' story, and their work led them to a shocking discovery that one of the suspects, Rabia Khalid, was actually a fugitive wanted for kidnapping," Weekly said.
Deputies also determined that the 14-year-old boy who was in the vehicle was Khalid's son and the victim in the case. He and the other child were placed in protective custody.
Weekly said he met with Aziz's family on Tuesday, but said an official union had not yet taken place.
"It is a slow process. Again, this father has not had contact; he told me for like a total of nine years he has not seen Aziz, so this is the only life that Aziz has known and so it's gonna, it is gonna take some time. So, it's baby steps to get up to that point. And there's just a lot of work to be done for this reunification. It's not a simple process."
Khalid is charged with nine counts. Some of those charges include conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to include a public servant, ID theft, violation of custody, trespassing and criminal impersonation.
The district attorney's office noted she was not charged with kidnapping, but the laws don't allow for someone to be charged with kidnapping their own child.
Bourgeios is charged with 14 counts. They include second-degree kidnapping, ID theft, attempt to influence a public servant, multiple counts of forgery and violation of custody.
Bond was set at $1 million each of them. They're next due in court on March 27.
The sheriff's office did not identify the other child or say how that child was associated with Bourgeios and Khalid.
"It's always interesting how it's always the smallest thing that can, you know, completely change the outcome or the lives of someone, and I'm just glad that they're safe," Crone said of the children and of the case.
They had most recently been living in Aurora, but it's believed they've moved around over the years. If you have any information about where they may have been, contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.
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