Balloon Boy Mom Admits ‘Hoax’
MAYUMI HEENE
Balloon boy’s mom has admitted her family’s story is full of hot air.
Mayumi Heene, who with her husband sparked a national panic when they said their 6-year-old son, Falcon, was stuck in a runaway, helium-filled balloon, allegedly told cops the story was a hoax.
“Mayumi described that she and [husband] Richard Heene devised this hoax approximately two weeks earlier . . . She and Richard had instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax,” a newly released police affidavit said.
Richard told cops that the Colorado couple built their weird, flying-saucer-shaped balloon specifically for the hoax, according to the Denver Post.
But David Lane, an attorney for Richard , said the confession was meaningless.
“[Mayumi's] English is not that great, first of all,” he told the paper.
The couple originally told cops their homemade weather balloon broke free while they were testing it on Oct. 15, and they feared that Falcon had climbed inside. The balloon’s trip was telecast nationwide and sparked a massive rescue effort.
Falcon later was found hiding in the family home.
Suspicion of a hoax arose when the child blurted out during an interview that they did it for television.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden has said he will recommend that charges be filed.
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