This is so stupid. An attention-seeking family looking to land a reality show faked their son flying away in a weather balloon. It turns out the whole thing was a scam and they are facing criminal charges as well as financial responsibilities. Because of their scam, the Denver Airport was forced to temporarily shut down for safety reasons, and air-force helicopters were called up to look for the balloon, costing thousands of taxpayer dollars. I think its completely disgusting that this family is getting so much media attention. I know its BAD attention, because pretty much everyone is angry about it who has read the news, but these attention seekers got pretty much what they want: national attention for their family. I think that news sources should have put this story on the back-burner once they exposed the truth. They shouldn't keep this family in the spotlight at all...
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told reporters on Sunday that Richard Heene and his Japanese-born wife Mayumi had fabricated Thursday's drama in which their six-year-old son Falcon was reported to have flown away on a home-made helium balloon.
The couple previously appeared in the reality show Wife Swap.
Falcon Heene was later discovered alive after hiding in an upstairs attic at the family home for several hours, a bizarre ending to a televised drama that drew immediate suspicions of a hoax.
Footage emerged over the weekend showing the moment the balloon lifted in the sky, with Richard and Mayumi Heene standing only metres away.
Alderden revealed at a press conference that the Heene parents had first met during a Hollywood acting class - and successfully conned officers last Thursday into thinking that they were distraught as the tension mounted. Mayumi Heene was reportedly born Mayumi Iizuka around 1964 in Japan.
"Needless to say they put on a very good show for us and we bought it," Alderden told reporters. "These people are actors ... we were manipulated by the family and the media were manipulated by the family.
"The plan was to create a situation where it appeared Falcon was in the craft and that his life was in jeopardy in order to gain a lot of publicity with the ultimate goal of gaining some notoriety and perhaps furthering their careers by gaining a contract for a reality TV show," Alderden explained.
Alderden also revealed for the first time that the Heenes' three sons - aged 10, eight and six - were also in on the scam.
Alderden confirmed that Heene and his wife are expected to face felony and misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, contributing to delinquency of a minor, attempting to influence a public servant, and filing a false report. The couple's children are unlikely to face charges because of their young age.
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