A seven-year-old boy whose abduction case featured in a Netflix true crime show has miraculously been found.
Abdul Aziz Khan was kidnapped in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2017 just after Thanksgiving in what was shaping up to be a mysterious ‘cold case.’
The story was brought to life by the streaming platform Netflix in its documentary series, Unsolved Mysteries.
The show exposes some heartbreaking cases in a bid to whip up public interest and help them to solve it, signposting at the end of every episode where viewers can send their tip-offs.
In the case of Abdul, it was suspected he was taken by his mom, Rabia Khalid, after his father was granted full custody by the courts.
Now, the youngster has finally been found 1,500 miles away in Colorado by a complete happy accident.
According to The Mirror, police were called out to reports of a home burglary when they stumbled across the missing youngster.
The homeowner called the cops after claiming to have seen two intruders on the CCTV cameras of the property listed for sale as of February 23.
Douglas County Sheriff’s Office raced to the scene where they discovered two children in the back of a car parked on the driveway and spoke to the youngsters while the two adults allegedly broke into the property.
The pair were arrested at the scene and later identified as Rabia Khalid, 40, the missing now-14-year-old’s mom, and Elliot Blake Bourgeois, 42.
Khalid and Bourgeois are being held on charges which include Second Degree Kidnapping, Forgery, Identity Theft, Providing False Information to Authorities and Trespassing.
The news outlet reports the bond for their release has been set at $1,000,000 each.
As for the youngster, he is in protective custody, while the identity of the other child found in the car with him has not been revealed.
In a statement, the boy’s family said they were ‘overwhelmed with joy’ to have found him again.
The statement read: “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.”
Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly added: “Our deputies responded to what initially seemed like a routine trespass call, but through sharp attention to detail and tenacity, they uncovered the truth.
“Their ability to recognize 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.”
US Marshal Enix Smith III for the Eastern District of Louisiana also issued a thanks to Netflix’s Unsolved Mysteries as well as NCMEC and Crimestoppers for ‘directing the public’s attention to this matter.’