Family rejects notions that balloon incident was hoax

The father of a 6-year-old boy who was thought to be in a helium balloon that floated away said Friday accusations that the ordeal was a publicity stunt are "extremely pathetic." The sheriff said he will be asking more questions.

Richard Heene and his family made the rounds on all three television networks on Friday, and the boy at the center of the saga got sick twice when he and his father were asked during separate interviews what he meant when he said that "we did this for a show."

Falcon Heene vanished around the time his family's homemade helium balloon floated away from their home on Thursday, setting off a national uproar as authorities scoured the plains of northern Colorado for the youngster. Turns out, he was hiding in the rafters of the family's garage.

During a live interview with CNN Thursday night, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name but didn't come out of the attic hiding place because his father "had said that we did this for a show." The boys' parents - Richard and Mayumi Heene - are storm chasers who appeared twice in the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

Sheriff Jim Alderden said Friday his investigators believe there was no hoax, but investigators will seek a new interview with the family after the CNN broadcast to clarify the statement.

Alderden told KUSA-TV in Denver on Friday that he didn't know what to make of Falcon's comments, but pointed out they came after hours of dealing with media questions. Alderden said investigators, trained to look at body language and verbal communication for signs of deception, were at the Heene home during the whole ordeal and believe they were telling the truth. Despite that, he said investigators would re-interview the family because of the comment.

During an ABC interview on Friday Falcon was asked why he said he was hiding "for a show," at which point he said: "Mom, I feel like I'm going to vomit." He then left the room with his mother and could be heard gagging.

During a live interview on NBC's "Today" that aired simultaneously, Falcon threw up into a container when his father was answering the same question.

At the beginning of the ABC interview, Falcon was asked how he's doing. "I feel good so far," he answered.

Richard Heene lambasted speculation that the ordeal was a hoax.

"I went through such a roller coaster of emotions yesterday, to have people say that, I think, is extremely pathetic," he told ABC.

"I'm not selling anything. This is what we do all the time."

It was five hours from the time the oldest of three sons reported that Falcon, the youngest, had climbed into a saucer-shaped balloon that had drifted off, setting off a search that included military helicopters and a plan to either lower a person to the craft or place weights on the balloon to bring it down. Officials rerouted planes around the balloon's flight path and briefly shut down Denver International Airport.

Heene said the family was tinkering with the balloon Thursday and that he scolded Falcon for getting inside a compartment on the craft. It was designed to hover about 50 to 100 feet from the ground but it broke loose from its tether.

The family videotaped the episode. In a segment shown on national TV, the father kicked the ground when the balloon took off.

One of Falcon's two brothers said he had seen him inside the compartment before it took off and that's why they thought he was in there when it launched. But the boy had gone to the garage rafters at some point and was never in the balloon during its two-hour, 50-mile journey through two counties.

"I was in the attic and he scared me because he yelled at me," Falcon said, referring to his father. "That's why I went in the attic."

The Heenes aren't the types to shy from attention, with boys featured in a rap music video on YouTube and the whole family appearing on the ABC show "Wife Swap."

The show promoted the Heene family as storm chasers who also "devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm."

During a live interview with CNN, Falcon said he had heard his family calling his name.

"You did?" his mother asked.

"Why didn't you come out?" Richard Heene said.

Falcon answered, "You had said that we did this for a show."

Heene told NBC his son was confused by the question, being only 6 years old, and had shown television reporters his hiding spot, confusing that with a show.

Gallery

Fullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide

1 of 1

Next Slide