Family Life

10.19.09 | FL News Team

The "balloon boy" case out of Fort Collins, Colorado is being called a hoax and publicity stunt. Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said they have evidence the Heene [[ HEE-nee ]] family launched a homemade flying saucer on Thursday in attempt to get a reality TV show. When the balloon was flying over Colorado, it was thought the family's six-year-old boy Falcon was on board. He was later found inside the family's home. The sheriff said Heene family members are trained actors and put on a "very good show" for police in the hours and days that followed. Alderden said no charges have been filed yet, but said at some point conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and false reporting to authorities are among the charges which will be suggested to the district attorney. The sheriff said search warrants were executed Saturday night looking for computers, phone records, and contracts or other documents related to a reality TV show. In addition to the likely state charges, there may be federal charges against the family as well.

Not long after the incident ended, questions about whether or not the incident was a hoax and publicity stunt surfaced, and were driven by Falcon's comment on CNN's "Larry King Live" that the family did it, quote, "for the show." Alderden said that comment was the "ah-ha" moment for investigators, and they began investigating it as a hoax.