Fort Collins, Colo: What at first appeared to be an accidental balloon launch, which captivated the nation as rescuers tried to reach a 6-year-old believed trapped inside, was actually a publicity stunt done in the hopes of getting a reality TV show, authorities said today.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said at a news conference here that the incident, which captured the nation's attention until the boy was found hiding in his house hours later, was a hoax.
"They put on a very good show for us, and we bought it," Alderden said of the professionally trained actors who are the parents of young Falcon Heene. Initially, investigators had believed the flight was genuine.
Richard and Mayumi Heene are expected to face felony charges, including conspiracy and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The Sheriff's Department also has asked social services to evaluate whether the Heenes -- amateur scientists who have taken their three sons to chase hurricanes and tornadoes -- should continue to have custody of their children.
The couple were shopping at a Walmart with their three sons during Alderden's news conference, the Associated Press reported.
Richard Heene said he's "seeking counsel," though it was unclear whether he was talking about hiring an attorney.
"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene told the AP, tears welling in his eyes.
He said his wife was holding together better than he was.
The sheriff said the family, twice featured on ABC's "Wife Swap," was hoping to get their own show, Alderden said. "If something like that was to happen, it needed a spark."
That, authorities contend, was the spaceship-shaped balloon that the family said Falcon climbed into before it allegedly slipped its tether on Thursday and sailed for 50 miles, shutting down flights at Denver International Airport, leading the Air National Guard to mobilize and making the family a media sensation.
Alderden initially believed the family's account of a mishap, but during an appearance on "Larry King Live," Falcon said he thought the event was done "for a show."
Alderden said that was the "first aha moment." He said investigators continued to pretend to believe the Heenes' story in an attempt to lure them into taking a polygraph test and confessing.
Noting that Colorado law forbade him from saying whether anyone had confessed or taken a lie-detector test, Alderden said that, after seven hours of interviews Saturday, his investigators were convinced.
"There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that this was a hoax," Alderden said.
The Heenes will not be arrested until charges are formally filed by the local district attorney. The most serious charges he outlined carried a sentence of up to six years and a $500,000 fine, and the family might have to pay for the costs of the rescue attempt. But Alderden said all indications were that they had little money.
It's a sort of case the sheriff said he'd never seen before. "On the bizarre meter," he said, "this rates a 10."