Balloon boy's parents tried to land TV deal

The boy-in-a-balloon story that sparked a frantic search in Colorado was a hoax concocted to land a reality television show, authorities said.

The boy’s parents Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Fort Collins, are facing charges over Thursday’s incident.

And investigators are also examining the possibility of other conspirators “including the possibility that even some of the media outlets may have had some knowledge about this,” Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said.

The Heenes had claimed their six-year-old son Falcon was inside the flying-saucer shaped home-made balloon that hurtled more than 50 miles across two counties.

The stunt temporarily shut down Denver International Airport and caused the National Guard to scramble two helicopters in an attempt to rescue the boy.

But Falcon had apparently been hiding in the rafters of his parents’ garage all the time.

The drama played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the balloon landed without the boy in it, officials thought he had fallen out and began grim search for his body.

In fact, the balloon – which was held together with duct tape – would not have been able to launch with the two and a half-stone boy inside, Colorado State University physics professor Brian Jones said.

The hoax, planned for two weeks, was a marketing ploy by the Heenes, who met in acting school in Hollywood and have appeared on the US version of reality TV show 'Wife Swap', Sheriff Alderden said. The Heenes have reportedly been working on a reality TV deal in Los Angeles.

Documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regards to the balloon incident, Sheriff Alderden said. He did not name the company, but said it was a show that blurs “the line between entertainment and news”.

It was not clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether that media outlet was a possible conspirator.

The sheriff said he said he expected to recommend charges of conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, making a false report to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal charges were also possible.

The most serious charges are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 (€335,000) fine.