(NewsNation) — After being missing for seven years, Abdul Aziz Khan has been located, but law enforcement says it will still take time before he is reunited with his father.

Khan was 7 when he was taken by his mother and stepfather during a custody battle. The family had been on the run until they were located in Colorado last month.

Douglas County, Colorado, Sheriff Darren Weekly joined NewsNation to discuss the case.

He said deputies quickly began to unravel the story provided by Khan’s mother and stepfather when they were questioned by police.

Officers had been called after a homeowner saw them make an entry into a home that was up for sale, though it isn’t clear why they were there since they did have an apartment in a nearby city.

Weekly said it would take time to get Khan back home.

“When I met with dad, he told me he actually hasn’t seen Aziz for nine years,” Weekly said. “This is the only life that Aziz has known, so it’s going to be baby steps to get them back up to that.’

He said the process is underway, and Khan’s father has come to Colorado to facilitate the process.

Weekly told NewsNation that both Khan and another child who was found with him are in good health, and the second child is still being identified. In the meantime, he said the kids are in good hands with the state’s Department of Human Services, and deputies on the scene worked to make them comfortable when they were found.

“They went to a neighbor’s house, got these kids food,” Weekly said. “They were watching ‘Peppa Pig’ and ‘Blue’s Clues’ with these kids.”