Was balloon chase a hoax?

An unbelievable drama unfolded over the skies of Colorado on Thursday. An experimental balloon,...  More »

An unbelievable drama unfolded over the skies of Colorado on Thursday. An experimental balloon, soaring thousands of feet in-the-air, reportedly with a six-year-old boy inside. But the story took a twist when the boy was eventually found hiding in the attic of the family's garage. It all began with a gut-wrenching report that little 6-year-old Falcon Heene was trapped inside his father's experimental helium balloon. First his neighbors and then the nation tracked the homemade flying saucer, as it raced across the Colorado plains climbing to more than 7,000 feet. Then almost 2-hours into its' flight the balloon began to slowly lose helium and in turn momentum ultimately landing harmlessly in an open field 50-miles from the Heene home. But touch down only served to extend the agony. Sheriff's deputies quickly learned Falcon was not inside. Recovery teams re-traced the balloon's path this time looking down instead of up and like his family fearing the worst. "The only thing I could think of was did he fall out," said Richard Henne the boy�s father. Another two hours passed and with crews running out of places to look this unbelievable story took another bizarre twist. "He just walked up to us, it was like a miracle to me," said Mayumi Henne the boy�s mother. It seems Falcon�s accent had only reached as high as the top of his family's home. Where were you? "Attic". Why were you in the attic. "I was scared," said the six year old falcon. But there are some who now question whether it was fear or fame that kept falcon in the attic for more than 4 hours suggesting that the event was a publicity stunt. Richard Heene vehemently denied the allegations Friday morning on the Today Show. �Absolutely not, absolutely not and now I�m starting to get ticked off because I�m getting asked this and um, what do I have to gain from this, I�m not selling anything," said Richard Henne. In fact what Heene family says they want more than anything right now is some time away from the spotlight and on solid ground. Some have suggested that this may be a hoax, a publicity stunt. It�s an allegation the family strongly denies and as of now, authorities say they have no evidence to suggest that is the case.  « Less