His mother, Rabia Khalid, and her husband, Elliot Blake Bourgeois, disappeared with him, leading to a nationwide search.
For over seven years, Aziz’s family desperately waited for answers.
Thankfully, in February 2025, a breakthrough occurred in this missing person case, and Aziz was found in Colorado.
Let's get into the details.
Background of The Case
Aziz’s parents, Abdul Khan and Rabia Khalid, separated in 2014.
After the separation, his mother Rabia moved with Aziz from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Atlanta, Georgia, for a new job.
Despite the distance, Abdul remained deeply involved in his son’s life.
He traveled to Atlanta regularly to visit Aziz and often brought him back to New Orleans to spend time with his paternal family.
However, tensions between Abdul and Rabia grew over time due to a bitter custody battle in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
By late 2017, it became clear that Abdul was likely to win full custody of Aziz.
This outcome didn’t sit well with Rabia, leading her to make a desperate choice: abducting Aziz and fleeing.
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| Aziz Khan before he disappeared |
How did Aziz Khan disappear?
On November 27, 2017, just after Thanksgiving, 7-year-old Abdul Aziz Khan went missing from his home in Atlanta, Georgia.
His mother, Rabia Khalid, and her new husband, Elliot Blake Bourgeois, were the last people seen with him.
That day, Rabia had a custody hearing in court, but she failed to show up.
Instead, she and Elliot allegedly packed their belongings, sold their vehicles, and left town with Aziz.
The disappearance was carefully planned.
Rabia and Elliot deleted their social media accounts, shut down their phones, and cut off all communication with family and friends.
This made it nearly impossible for authorities to track them.
Aziz’s father, Abdul Khan, reported him missing, and the local police department launched an investigation.
After some time, The U.S. Marshals got involved, and the case gained national attention.
Investigators followed multiple leads across 11 states, from Georgia to Louisiana and beyond.
Despite their efforts, Rabia and Elliot seemed to have vanished without a trace.
In December 2019, a felony warrant was issued for Rabia’s arrest on charges of kidnapping.
The U.S. Marshals intensified their efforts, but the couple’s ability to stay off the radar made the search incredibly challenging.
Rabia was an epidemiologist with a master’s degree in public health, and Elliot had a background in neuroscience.
Both were described as highly intelligent and resourceful, which likely helped them avoid capture for years.
The case was featured on Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries in 2022, bringing renewed attention to Aziz’s disappearance.
Despite the publicity, the family had no answers—until a breakthrough in February 2025.
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| Aziz Khan and his father before his disappearance |
How Was Aziz Khan Found After Several Years?
The breakthrough in Aziz’s case came on February 23, 2025, in Douglas County, Colorado.
The owner of a vacant home, which was listed for sale, noticed a man and woman entering the property illegally through security cameras.
He believed they were there to rob the property, so he called the local police department for help.
Deputies were immediately dispatched to investigate.
When they arrived, they found two children sitting in a parked car in the driveway.
Shortly after, a man and woman exited the home, claiming to be realtors.
However, deputies quickly noticed something was off.
The couple seemed “very nervous,” and they had different stories for being on the property.
Additionally, they used fake identities which made deputies dig deeper into their story.
Using a portable fingerprint scanner brought to the scene, they identified the woman as Rabia Khalid.
It was at this point that they realized she had an active felony warrant for kidnapping.
The older child in the car was identified as Aziz, who had been missing for over seven years.
Rabia and her husband, Elliot Blake Bourgeois, were arrested on the spot.
They were charged with multiple crimes, including second-degree kidnapping, forgery, identity theft, and providing false information to authorities.
Both were booked into the Douglas County Jail, with bond set at $1 million each.
The children, who appeared healthy, were taken into protective custody.
During the investigation, deputies discovered several fake IDs inside the car, which are now being examined as part of the ongoing criminal investigation.
It’s still unclear why Rabia and Elliot were at the vacant home or how long they had been living in Colorado.
The discovery of Aziz marked the end of a long and painful search for his family.
While the reunion process will take time, his recovery has brought hope and relief to those who never gave up on finding him.
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| Rabia Khalid and Elliot Blake Bourgeois |
Where The Case Stands Now: Ongoing Investigation
As of March 2025, the criminal investigation into Aziz Khan’s disappearance is still active.
Rabia Khalid and Elliot Blake Bourgeois are currently in custody, awaiting their preliminary hearings scheduled for March 27 in Douglas County, Colorado.
Elliot faces 14 charges, including second-degree kidnapping, while Rabia faces 9 charges.
Interestingly, Rabia is not charged with kidnapping due to a legal technicality.
Under the law, a parent cannot be charged with kidnapping their own child.
Authorities are still piecing together what happened during the seven years Aziz was missing.
Investigators executed a search warrant at the couple’s home in Aurora, Colorado, where they found several fake IDs and other evidence.
One of the biggest questions is how long Rabia and Elliot had been living in Colorado and whether Aziz was attending school under his real name.
Sheriff Darren Weekly mentioned that Aziz appeared to have been coached on what to say if approached by law enforcement.
“When deputies contacted the child in the driveway, the child immediately called the two people inside,” Weekly said.
This suggests that Aziz may not have been aware he was missing or that he was being hidden.
The two children found in the car with Rabia and Elliot were taken into protective custody.
The relationship between the second child and the couple has not been disclosed, and investigators are working to determine their identity and connection to the case.
Authorities are also asking for the public’s help.
They want anyone with information about Rabia, Elliot, or Aziz’s whereabouts over the past seven years to come forward.
Tips can be submitted to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-STOP (7867).
For Aziz’s family, the focus is now on reunification and healing.
Sheriff Weekly described the family as “overwhelmed with joy” but acknowledged that the process will take time.
Aziz has spent more than half his life away from his father and paternal family, and adjusting to this new reality will require patience and support.
Got a tip about a crime? Please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS immediately.
You can also see how to report a crime anonymously online if you wish to remain anonymous.
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