Abdul "Aziz" Kahn in an updated, representative photo and a family photo
It's not often that a community has a nearly collective exhale, but that's what happened after a child was found healthy, 1,400 miles away, after having gone missing for seven years with very few traces. On November 27th, 2017, a seven-year-old boy named Abdul "Aziz" Khan went missing from his Atlanta home. His mother was declared missing too after she didn't show up for a custody hearing, according to Missingkids.org.
A bit of background on the family dynamic: Previous reports, including NBC News, share that following a 2014 separation, Aziz's parents had been going through a nasty custody battle. His mother, Rabia Khalid, moved him from their home in New Orleans to Atlanta for work, and his father, Abdul Khan, traveled back and forth to see him. However, Rabia eventually stopped complying with court orders to allow Abdul visitation.
Darren Weekly, the sheriff of Douglas County, Colorado, spoke in a live news conference and relayed that after allegations made by Rabia toward her ex-husband were dismissed, she (along with her new husband, Elliot Blake Bourgeois) took Aziz. "When it appeared that the father was going to get full custody, that is when the mother left with the child."
Abdul "Aziz" Kahn in an updated, representative photo and a family photoCredit: MissingKids.org
It wasn't until 2020 when the Feds (United States Marshals Service) picked up the case. In a U.S. Marshal press release in 2022, it was stated that they’d been unsuccessful in their nationwide search, but hoped that an Unsolved Mysteries episode on Netflix about "fugitive Rabia Khalid and NCMEC parental abduction victim Abdul Aziz Khan" would "help develop more leads."
There was also a reward, both from Crime Stoppers Greater New Orleans and Aziz's dad.
Their hopes were answered. On February 23rd, Aziz was found in Douglas County, Colorado. The police had been called after a man and woman were seen on a surveillance camera entering a vacant home that was up for sale. When police arrived, they found two children in a parked car outside the house. One of them was Aziz.
- YouTube, CBS News Coloradowww.youtube.com
Rabia and Elliot were arrested about five hours later. NBC reports that they were booked on several charges, "including second-degree kidnapping, forgery, identity theft, providing false information to authorities, and trespassing. Bond was set at $1 million each."
And here comes the exhale part: Sheriff Weekly shared, "I had the privilege of meeting with the family in my office yesterday, and what I will tell you is there wasn’t a dry eye in the room."
Redditors have expressed great joy upon hearing this news. In a subreddit for r/Bestofnetflix, the OP wrote, "A missing child featured on Netflix show Unsolved Mysteries has been found!" The comment section was full of relief, expressing sympathy for both Aziz and his paternal family. "That poor dad went through so much. So happy Aziz has been located!"
Another, while also thrilled Aziz had been found, expressed concern for his journey forward: "So happy to hear this! But I do feel bad for Aziz. I’m sure it is complicated for him. Who knows what he has been told about his father and paternal side for all these years? Hopefully, he kept his own true memories and it is a happy reunion."
This Redditor shares a sentiment many of us feel: "Tears of joy. Unsolved Mysteries has been around for decades, and it’s great Netflix has picked it up. I pray this young soul gets all the love and support he needs."
