Posted on 10/16/2009 7:53:50 AM PDT by GoldStandard
Colorado authorities met Friday morning to discuss whether they should investigate suspicions a family that claimed their six-year-old boy was trapped in an experimental, saucer-shaped ballon set up the international spectacle.
Colorado authorities chased the balloon for three hours, across several counties believing the boy was trapped inside, while television cameras followed the silver balloon's every dip and dive.
When the balloon finally landed in a farmer's field about 80 kilometres southeast of the boy's home in Fort Collins, Colo., they found no child inside and speculation immediately began that he may have fallen out during the flight.
But Falcon Heene was hiding in the attic and now suggestions are swirling the whole thing may have been a hoax.
Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Deputy Kathy Messick said the county sheriff was meeting with investigators and command staff to discuss their next investigative moves.
"They want to determine if there is something else going on besides what they presented to us initially," said Messick, in an interview with Canwest News Service. "Some people think it's a hoax and we are going to determine whether we are going to go down that avenue."
(Excerpt) Read more at vancouversun.com ...
It ought to be a crime for the MSM to be so gullible and sensationalist... imho
I know, they are only giving the people what they want, blah blah blah
It wasn’t! The video footage was from a helicopter following it making it seem as though it was moving quickly.
Here comes CPS. Billing them for the search expenses will be useless. They look and act judgment proof. Removing the kids from their care and imposing parenting skills classes will be the punishment.
Let it go? I think criminals should pay for their actions - if this was a hoax, they lied to police and tied up countless law enforcement personnel for hours.
And there going to waste a lot of time and money trying to convict based on the utterance of a 6 year old.
I missed the start of this event, but after he’d been found “hiding,” and I watched the interviews with the parents, I thought something looked kind of fishy. Body language was all wrong. Then the fact they’re reality teevee hounds...it looked like a publicity stunt.
Yeah, but all the criminals were watching the coverage, twittering and scanning the net - so they didn't comit any crimes while the story was hot.
The family was on wife swap. I had just watched it (DVR) this week and the dad seemed entirely UNHINGED, he would go off on screaming tirades at the ‘new’ mom, like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum. The kids are out of control. I thought at the time that if CPS was watching this, they should be concerned for these kids. The parents take the kids out of school to chase after tornadoes, the dad drives his motorcycle INTO the tornado. When FOX showed the picture of the family, I thought, attention seeking HOAX.
Colorado cops mull probe of balloon-boy.....
Something about this headline just doesn’t seem right!
The word "gondola" was the description of any appendage to a balloon. I followed the media coverage and was taken in by the supposition of a child being in the craft.
What I don't know and I maybe slow on the uptake, is that the "bucket" shaped bottom was seemingly part of the whole thing.
If it contained helium itself, then there is no way any human could have got in there. Again, this was rationalized by some media, that a "basket" was originally attached. The hunt was on for such an attachment. All in vain.
More questions need to be asked.
How could that be? Do you know the diameter of the balloon?
I’m not saying you’re wrong but on Mythbusters, it took, literally, thousands of balloons to lift a little girl a few feet in the air and it seems that a thousand balloons would have more volume that that craft.
From Wiki, I know, I wouldn’t put my life on their reports.
Carried Away
The Build Team takes on a gag used in many comedic works, where a baby or small child could be lifted into the air and fly away unintentionally when given helium balloons.
Myth statement Status Notes
A 4 year old child can be lifted by a bunch of party balloons. Busted It would require such a large number of balloons (3,500) to lift an average four-year-old girl of 44 pounds (20 kg) just a few feet off the ground that there is no way the myth could have happened unintentionally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_%282004_season%29
>>>More “uh’s” in Daddy’s response than a dual press conference with Hillary Clinton and Caroline Kennedy.....<<<
Yep, and when you contrast that with his confident, frenetic speaking style in the “Wife Swap” footage, it further reinforces my belief that he is not telling the truth.
Neighbor Bob Licko, 65, said he was leaving home when he heard commotion in the backyard of the family. He said he saw two boys on the roof with a camera, commenting about their brother.
Story continues below
“One of the boys yelled to me that his brother was way up in the air,” Licko said.
Licko said the boy’s mother seemed distraught and that the boy’s father was running around the house.
‘We Did This for a Show’ - Of course, they were taping it. The thing is, the dad really might have thought the kid had crawled in it. Not knowing, he freaked. In the end. The the kid, or all three kids, punked their dad.
Just a guess.
I would say that 25 mph for two hours would take it pretty close to 50 miles. LOL
The father is a failed actor and "borderline personality disorder".
>>>Let it go? I think criminals should pay for their actions - if this was a hoax, they lied to police and tied up countless law enforcement personnel for hours.<<<
Not to mention put the rescuers lives in danger. I read one article that said they considered lowering someone from a helicopter, onto the balloon to try to bring it down. Can you imagine if they attempted this and the man died?
If it was a hoax, strictly by the kids, the parents should pay all the costs of the rescue efforts. If the parents were in on it, they should pay the costs and do jail time.
That would make sense except that it would have been very easy for the dad to explain that on Larry King - instead he wouldn’t even ask the kid the question.
“I had just watched it (DVR) this week and the dad seemed entirely UNHINGED, he would go off on screaming tirades at the ‘new’ mom, like a 5 year old throwing a tantrum.” He said “I’m going to make a ham sandwich” and the crazy lady threw his food down the sink disposer. Among other things she would not do that she agreed to. What would you do? http://www.youtube.com/user/Terrabithian#p/u/0/B_WTWSHUi5M
It probably would only be a misdemeanor anyway - so not worth the effort, but I wonder if perhaps this family had hopes of selling the story? Maybe now that won’t happen if it was a hoax...oh wait, this is American televsion where even a hoax can be sold for millions....
I heard an estimate this morning on FOX that the cost of the chase was on the order of $2 million. Could be an expensive hoax.
We're these the guys that searched the home for the kid....lol
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