A small homemade helium balloon resembling a flying saucer and believed to be
containing a 6-year-old boy is pictured floating thousands of feet above Colorado, October 15, 2009.
REUTERS/KUSA TV/Handout
Posted on 10/23/2009 4:52:35 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
DENVER (Reuters) – The mother of a Colorado boy thought to be aboard a homemade helium balloon has admitted to investigators the whole thing was a hoax, according to a court document made public on Friday.
...
"The motive for the fabricated story was to make the Heene family more marketable for future media interest," the affidavit states.
The document also says the Heenes, who had starred in the reality television show "Wife Swap," had devised the hoax about two weeks before and had instructed their three children to lie to authorities and the media.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A new family reality show, Family Cellblock
Who would’ve thunk ...
The 6 year old will probably get beaten for “telling the truth”...What a screwed up family this is...
This is probably the only way they could get a conviction, if the wife turned on the husband.
A small homemade helium balloon resembling a flying saucer and believed to be
containing a 6-year-old boy is pictured floating thousands of feet above Colorado, October 15, 2009.
REUTERS/KUSA TV/Handout
my guess is, it was the husband who was the mastermind. The wife just didn’t seem smart enough to have pulled this off herself
I worry for the wife also. She has claimed domestic violence in the past.
the public figured it out before law enforcement.
Actually LE knew but weren’t saying anything about it to the media, to keep the Heenes cooperating with them. The whole ‘obviously we were fooled’ thing was them just playing their hand close while getting more information to bring charges. They’ve already said that.
This is a funny video that parody’s the baloon family with obamacare watch to end lol
http://bluelori.blogspot.com/2009/10/breaking-obamas-health-care-hoax.html
She will cooperate with the authorities to try and save herself and get rid of the guy.
Well, I heard
The ballon boy was NOT a hoax
Michael Jackson ordered takeout from heaven
badaboom!!!!
Not now, but I’m sure that’s what he was scared of. Remember, he threw up TWICE during two different media interviews, both times right after being asked why he didn’t come of hiding when he heard searchers calling his name. This poor kid was terrified of what would happen if didn’t tell the right lies like daddy ordered him to. I didn’t watch the interviews myself, but one FReeper who did noted that on one of them, when the boy threw up and was running off-camera, neither parent made a move to follow him until one of the interviewers suggested maybe one of them ought to go with him.
And to try to save her kids.
I'm sure it has dawned on her by now that if she goes to jail/prison, she loses her children.
Worked out pretty good for them.
If ONLY we could get the family in the White House to acknowledge the same.
She or the idiot hubby will never serve jail time. Hopefully a fine but I bet they skate free away.
Sad but true.
This is completely mind-boggling. Looks like Papa Heene will have to do his reality show from prison.
And I don't doubt for a second that he's presently trying to set up "negotiations" to do exactly that.
I thought they already admitted it.
Jail the husband - deport the wife and kids.
Well, now what? If mom and dad go to jail, the kids end up as wards of the state and that can’t be good. But choices, even stupid ones have consequences. Hopefully mom and dad will be fined and put on probation. Damned stupid idea on dads part for sure.
Kids to foster care..parents to the graybar hotel! IMHO.
The Gosselins part deux!
Sad but true.
Gosh, I hope you're wrong.
I say that I honestly hope they they get some time out of this.
Many towns and cities in Colorado are in the midst of huge budget shortfalls due to the economy.
The fact that these talentless attention-grabbing low grade morons thought that it would be a good idea for state and several different municipalities to spend tons of scarce money on their personal quest for fame really steams those of us facing tax increases.
I read the AP article, it seems the husband and wife have different lawyers!
This could get even more weird!
Heene’s lawyer said about the wife’s admission: “Allegations are cheap” and he’s waiting to see the evidence!
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNjDfxqke2Lg2A8JyZaRyg2ufgIQD9BH1S3O0
Sounds like the wacky dad isn’t ready to give up the ghost!
It appears the wife is admitting the hoax and the Dad wants to continue to pretend it’s real.
Sounds like the wife cares more about keeping the kids than fame, Dad still wants to be famous.
They even have different lawyers. See post 27.
yes--he is the attention hog...
Not if there is federal charges.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcYGcBYzvWs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kP_Cjx2sFzM
The launch videos should be enough...
Oh yeah, that’s what I said when I saw those launch videos, obvious hoax.
Lord knows what is going to happen to those kids.
Is the economy THAT BAD back there in the US and people THAT HARD UP for money to do such a thing to themselves, their families and their children??
I suspect the woman had better get out of that situation with those kids. This is just what I am sensing. Anybody else feeling it?
that was my thought too. wife’s getting immunity for rolling on the husband. maybe this way she doesn’t lose custody of her kids.
How could they let the kid go on tv without making damn sure they told him exactly what to say and not to?
What morons.
At least they didn’t risk his life by really putting him in the balloon.
This is the weirdest story of the year.
"Defendent, do you plead guilty or not guilty to the charge brought against you?"
"Faith, and your honour, how can I tell until I hear the evidence?"
Or interested in even pretending her 6 year old was adrift in a balloon. The articles describe him as a risk taker and (former) weather chaser, and the younger boys were really too young to understand it as anything but an adventure, all he had to do was coerce her (and possibly the oldest boy) to go along with it. What an odd thing to subject your family to.
MAYUMICHAN NOO!
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