And at the Greeley Tribune, "BREAKING: 6-Year-Old Alone in Helium-Powered Aircraft Flying Above Weld County."
Plus, from AP, "No Sign of 6-Year-Old Boy After Balloon Lands: Balloon Crashes to Earth; No Sign of Boy."
Information is sketchy. I was watching the CNN report at the local Japanese takeout. I'm off to a 1:00pm class. Expect updates throughout the afternoon.
UPDATE II: More information is coming in. From Denver Channel 7 News, "Search Under Way For Fort Collins Boy After Empty Balloon Touches Down":
The search is on for a 6-year-old boy who is missing after floating over northeastern Colorado in a homebuilt helium balloon that touched down about two hours after lifting off.Plus, "Missing Boy's Parents Were on 'Wife Swap'."
The balloon landed about 2 miles northeast of Prospect Reservoir at 1:35 p.m., in Weld County, but the boy was not inside. That's about 50 miles from where the balloon lifted off.
The boy has been identified as Falcon Heene, the youngest of three sons of Richard and Mayumi Heene, of Fort Collins.
The family reported Falcon could not be found after the balloon lifted off. His older brother told his parents that he saw Falcon climb into the small compartment at the bottom of the balloon and the balloon lifted off, Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Kathy Messick said.
The balloon had a small compartment that carried batteries, she said.
"It was never intended for any more weight than the batteries that were in the compartment," Messick said.
She described the craft as a sort of weather balloon.
The boy's home and neighborhood were immediately searched and there was no sign of the boy, leading everyone to believe the boy had climbed into the craft.
"We're now organizing a search from the home in the direction the balloon took off," Messick told reporters.
Falcon Heene was out of school on Thursday because of teacher conferences at his school.
And CBS News is questioning, "The Family Behind "Balloon Boy" Story":
A boy who may - or may not - have flown away from his Colorado home in a homemade, mushroom-shaped balloon has been identified as Falcon Heene, the youngest son of an eccentric family that twice appeared on the ABC reality series "Wife Swap."See also, Wizbang, "Breaking: The Boy Was Never in the Balloon."
After nearly three hours airborne - chased by the police, National Guard and media helicopters - the balloon made a relatively gentle landing in a dirt field. No one was inside.
One of the Falcon's brothers said he saw him fall out of the balloon. Police did not locate him in a search of the Heene house, raising questions about whether the story is a tragedy or a hoax.
Aviation experts say the balloon was too small to have lifted a 6-year-old boy and was not flying as if it was carrying a payload, reported Village Voice editor Tony Ortega.
Nevertheless, Falcon is still missing, leading the police to treat today's events as an open case and not a hoax.
The first "Wife Swap" episode on which the Heenes appeared juxtaposed a family that goes on "storm chasing" missions (the Heenes) with a conservative counterpart that conducted regular fire drills and never left children out of their sight.
Viewers later voted for two families who had previously appeared on the show - including the Heenes - to be featured in a special 100th episode swap in March. ABC called the family "science-obsessed."
UPDATE III: The boy was found alive:
See, "6-Year-Old Colorado Boy Found Alive After Setting Balloon Adrift."
3 comments:
This is just another example of the bed wetting hysterics in the US media and among the general public going freakin' nuts before they are even clear about what precisely that are freaking out about.
Three clever little boys with very active minds. I'll bet the older bro knew the youngest was hinding in a box in the attic all along. When the balloon got away and the press and police showed up, the boys were too scared to say anything. Reminds me of the stunt my cousins pulled at the San Diego Navy base. They left clues they had been kidnapped while they took their camping gear to the hills overlooking their home on the base. They watched with binoculars as the Navy and police search for two days. The clowns walked back home after three days innocently asking, "What's goin' on?"
I am glad the boy is O.K. but I hope it was not a publicity stunt.
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