DENVER (Reuters) - The flight of a home-made helium balloon that touched off a frantic rescue attempt for the young boy thought to be aboard was a publicity-seeking hoax, a Colorado sheriff said on Sunday.
Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said the parents of 6-year-old Falcon Heene would likely face four charges in the bizarre incident, which riveted television viewers across the United States for more than two hours on Thursday.
<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.>