Asked why he was hiding, Falcon said to his father, "You guys said that, um, we did this for the show," apparently revealing that the Heenes had staged the incident as a publicity stunt.

[9] On October 18, 2009, Larimer County sheriff Jim Alderden announced his conclusion that the incident was a hoax and that the parents would likely face several felony charges.

[16][17][18] Heene had tried acting and stand-up comedy without success and, for a time, he and his wife ran a home business producing demo reels for actors.

[19] Heene's storm chasing has included riding a motorcycle into a tornado and reportedly flying a plane around the perimeter of Hurricane Wilma in 2005.

A domestic violence investigation was launched at the Heenes' home in February 2009, after Mayumi was seen with a mark on her cheek and broken blood vessels in her left eye.

[20][22] During his time on the show, Heene expressed his alleged belief that humanity descended from aliens and spoke of launching home-made flying saucers into storms.

[19] Heene had unsuccessfully sought the media's interest in a proposed reality show called The PSIence Detectives, which he envisioned as a documentary series "to investigate the mysteries of science".

[20] Months before the balloon incident Heene had pitched a reality show idea to the television channel TLC, but the network passed on the offer.

Its base, in which Falcon allegedly rode, was a box made from a very thin piece of plywood and cardboard on the side, also held together by string and duct tape.

Richard Heene, who can be seen kicking the wood frame that supported the balloon, yelled amidst myriad obscene words, "You didn't put the fucking tether down!

[40] The balloon finally landed two hours later at around 1:35 p.m. local time near Keenesburg, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Denver International Airport.

[44] At approximately 4:14 p.m., CNN and other news reported that the boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in rafters above the garage,[1] but county sheriff Jim Alderden later said, "For all we know he may have been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park."

[48] Editor & Publisher pointed out that "few had raised the issue of whether such a balloon could even lift off with a 50-pound (23 kg) kid inside and then float the way it did" during the flight.

"[53] Researcher Robert Thomas sold a story to Gawker alleging that he had helped plan a publicity stunt involving a weather balloon and investigators expressed a desire to interview him.

[54] Larimer County Sheriff's officials had consulted a Colorado State University physics professor, Brian Jones, who initially determined, based on the dimensions provided by Richard Heene, that the balloon could plausibly lift off with a boy of Falcon's reported size (37 pounds or 17 kilograms).

[32] During a press conference on October 18, Alderden called the incident a hoax, stating "we believe we have evidence at this point to indicate that this was a publicity stunt in hopes to better market themselves for a reality show."

Mayumi Heene was also facing a potential penalty; by committing a class 3 misdemeanor, she could receive up to six months in prison and a fine ranging from $50 to $750.

According to the supporting affidavit that law enforcement submitted with their application for a search warrant, Mayumi later admitted that she "knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence.

"[58] Richard Heene's attorney announced on November 12, 2009, that both parents intended to plead guilty to the charges filed against them, for which the prosecutor would recommend probation.

Mayumi was also allowed to begin her sentence after her husband's ended in order to ensure her children would be cared for, and the Heenes were also banned from receiving any profits from the hoax for several years.

Polis said, "It's time to no longer let a permanent criminal record from the balloon boy saga follow and drag down the parents for the rest of their lives.

For hours, the incident received extensive media coverage in many parts of the world, with local TV helicopters broadcasting live video of the balloon and rescue operation.

"[76] Experts and commentators also criticized the media's vetting process, questioned the separation between journalism and reality television and raised concerns about the exploitation of children for news stories.