Helium Balloon | featured news

The wife of a Colorado father at the center of the "balloon boy" saga told authorities that the giant helium balloon was specifically created for a hoax to draw media attention, according to court documents released Friday.

An associate of the father accused of carrying out the now-infamous balloon boy ordeal to promote a reality TV show was wanted for questioning after e-mails surfaced showing the two had discussed a similar stunt months ago as part of a public relations campaign for the program.

The bizarre flight of a home-made helium balloon, thought to have a 6-year-old boy aboard, was a hoax and publicity stunt, a Colorado sheriff said on Sunday.

Criminal case mulled in connection with Colorado couple's report of son set adrift on helium balloon.

Officials in Colorado said they plan to investigate the Heene family to determine whether the balloon incident was a hoax and if they should pursue criminal charges.

The 6-year-old Colorado boy who is believed to have set adrift a helium balloon Thursday, prompting ground and air searches, has been found alive, authorities said. He was found in a box in the attic at his family's Fort Collins home, according to authorities.