Boy in the Balloon Determined to be a Hoax, Charges Pending

After exhaustive interviews with the family and with close friends and associates of the Heenes, investigators have determined that the run-away balloon incident that required military helicopters and the diversion of air traffic – was all a hoax. Originally, authorities were satisfied that the event was genuine and that the Heenes truly believed that their son was aloft in the experimental balloon that traveled over 50 miles over the plains of Colorado, at heights of over 2500 feet.

But after some odd behavior during interviews, especially from 6-year-old Falcon Heene who was allegedly hiding in the rafters of the garage throughout the ordeal, authorities became increasingly suspicious. Falcon blurted out that "you had said we did this for a show", when asked by a CNN by his father during a CNN interview why he stayed hidden for so long.

As it turns out, the balloon would not have been able to fly with the extra 37 pounds that the boy weighs onboard. One would have to assume that the designer and builder of the balloon would have been able to determine that fairly quickly once it took off. Instead, authorities were left to believe that the balloon was aloft with the boy inside and, after it landed empty, everyone assumed that he had fallen out in flight.

Now that the truth appears to have come out, authorities are also investigating whether at least one media outlet may have known in advance about the event. They have confirmed a payment in relation to the story, but are not sure yet how far the agreement goes back. In hindsight, it would be pretty difficult to imagine that the scenario was not staged to some degree. What consequences the Heenes will face remains to be seen.