Balloon Go Up
by Mallory Stratton
Yesterday, a giant mylar balloon escaped from the Heene’s backyard. Richard Heene, a meteorologist who had planned to use the balloon for experiments, said he was upset when the balloon drifted away because “the project was pretty much down the tubes because we had about a couple hundred experiments we were going to work with.” He didn’t know at this point that his son Falcon could have possibly crawled inside. Their other son, Bradford, then told them that he thought Falcon was in the balloon, beginning the family’s terror. When the balloon finally came down in the afternoon and Falcon was not inside, Heene said “it was like the worst thing I’d ever heard in my life because all I could think of was that perhaps he had fallen out.” The family was sitting together in their living room, when Falcon walked in by himself, saying he had been hiding in a box in the attic after his father had yelled at him.
In an interview that night, the Heene’s asked Falcon why he had not come out when they called for him, searching the house. His reply was “You guys said we did this for the show.” This comment sparked suggestions by some that the whole ordeal could have been just a stunt for publicity. However, Richard Heene said that his son was confused. But Sheriff James Alderden said “very seasoned investigators who are used to looking for deceptive behavior” spoke with the family that day and were “completely convinced that this was the real deal, and not a hoax, based on all of their communication, body language, their emotions that were displayed throughout the event.”
However, as investigations continued, the whole ordeal was actually revealed to be a hoax. Chargers are pending, and the parents may have their children taken into custody.
