FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) -- The adventure that a little boy had floated abroad in a giant helium airship was a hoax affected to acreage a reality television show, authorities said Sunday, and the boy's parents will likely face abomination charges.
The achievement two weeks in the planning was a marketing artifice by Richard and Mayumi Heene, who met in acting academy in Hollywood and accept appeared on the ABC reality appearance "Wife Swap," Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said. The Heenes accept reportedly been alive on a reality TV accord in Los Angeles.
Investigators are examining the possibility of added conspirators, "including the possibility that even some of the media outlets may accept had some knowledge about this," Alderden said.
Documents appearance that a media aperture has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regard to the airship incident, Alderden said. He didn't name the media outlet, but said it was a appearance that blurs "the line between ball and news." It wasn't clear whether the accord was active before or after the alleged hoax, or whether that media aperture was a accessible conspirator.
Alderden did not name an aperture or provide any details.
"Let's call it (my statement) short of speculation that a media aperture was in on the hoax, but let's not discount the possibility," he said.
Six-year-old Falcon Heene may not accept even been hiding in the rafters of the family's barn during the intense five-hour chase for him Thursday, Alderden said.
"For all we apperceive he may accept been two blocks down the road playing on the swing in the city park," the sheriff said.
Alderden additionally said board appetite to talk to Robert Thomas, a Denver man who claimed Heene had told him he was planning a media achievement to promote a proposed reality show. Thomas, a self-described researcher, awash his adventure to the Web armpit Gawker.com, which billed it with the headline: "Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax."
Web armpit editor-in-chief Gabriel Snyder confirmed that the armpit paid Thomas for his adventure but declined to say how much it paid him. In an e-mail Sunday to The Associated Press, Snyder said editors there had not contacted the Heene ancestors or offered them money for their story, referring to Alderden's advertence to a accord being struck by a media outlet.
"No, that wasn't us," Snyder said.
Snyder said Thomas, 25, was planning to meet with board Sunday night, admitting sheriff's admiral didn't acknowledgment messages seeking confirmation.
Messages left for Thomas by the AP were additionally not returned.
In a statement, Gawker.com declared how Thomas told them the hoax was part of Heene's plan to boutique a proposed reality series billed as "Mythbusters-meets-mad scientist." Thomas told the armpit that the plan called for releasing a flying-saucer shaped airship to accumulate absorption for the Heene family, the proposed appearance and UFOs.
Thomas said in his Gawker.com adventure that the plan he knew about did not absorb the Heenes' children.
Thursday's achievement temporarily shut down Denver International Airport and caused the National Guard to scramble two helicopters in an attempt to rescue the boy, who was believed to be central the flying-saucer shaped homemade airship that hurtled added than 50 miles beyond two counties.
The ball played out on live television to millions of viewers worldwide. When the airship landed with! out the boy in it, admiral anticipation he had fallen out and began grim chase for his body.
In fact, the airship - which was held calm with aqueduct tape - would not accept been able to barrage with the 37-pound-boy inside, Colorado State University physics assistant Brian Jones has determined.
The parents weren't beneath arrest, the sheriff said. He said he accepted to recommend accuse of conspiracy, contributing to the crime of a minor, making a false address to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. Federal accuse were additionally possible.
The most serious accuse are felonies and carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine. Alderden said they would be seeking amends for the costs, admitting he didn't accept an estimate.
The cost for just the two aggressive helicopters was about $14,500.
Richard and Mayumi Heene were arcade for snacks at Wal-Mart with their three sons as Alderden told reporters that the whole thing was a hoax.
Richard Heene told The Associated Press he was "seeking counsel."
"This thing has become so convoluted," Heene said as tears welled in his eyes. He said his wife was captivation calm bigger than he was.
The couple's attorney, David Lane, issued a account after Sunday saying the Heenes were willing to voluntarily about-face themselves in to face charges. Lane said he advised the ancestors against making public statements.
The sheriff said all three of the Heenes' sons knew of the hoax, but likely won't face accuse because of their ages. The oldest son is 10. One of the boys told board he saw his brother get in the balloon's box before it launched.
Heene, 48, a storm chaser and inventor, has declared himself as an amateur scientist, but Alderden said Heene has only a high academy education! . He mos t recently earned a living by laying tile, the sheriff said.
"He may be nutty, but he's not a professor," Alderden said.
Alderden said that during the drama, the family's accomplishments led them to accept the adventure was genuine. But during an interview on CNN Thursday night, Alderden said board had an "aha" moment back Falcon turned to his dad and said what articulate like "you had said we did this for a show" back asked why he didn't appear out of his hiding place.
On Friday, Falcon got ailing during two abstracted TV interviews back asked again why he hid.
Alderden said they didn't question the ancestors Friday because they wanted to accumulate the family's cooperation by maintaining the appearance that they believed their story. Richard Heene was asked to stop by the sheriff's appointment beneath the pretext that he needed to aces up his balloon, and was questioned already he got there.
With Heene gone, added board went to the house. Alderden said they were looking for computers, e-mails, phone annal and financial records.
Records appearance that police accept responded to the abode at least twice in the past year, including a accessible domestic abandon incident in February. No accuse were filed.
Alderden said admiral approved Saturday to actuate Mayumi Heene, 45, to go to a safe house, but she declined.
"We talked to her at breadth about domestic violence, about her safety, about her children's safety," the sheriff said. "We accept a concern, but we didn't accept enough that would allow us or child careful casework to physically take the kids from that environment."
Alderden said the children were still with the parents Sunday and that child careful casework had been contacted to investigate the children's well-being. On "Wife Swap," Heene was portrayed as erratic, ! at one p oint throwing a glass of milk on a participant on the program.
"Clearly, from all indications, Mr. Heene has somewhat of a temper," Alderden said.
As to the hoax that could end up with one or both in prison:
"It certainly got big and whether anybody accomplished it that it would get the type of international media attention, I suspect this is probably beyond what they thought," Alderden said.
The producers of "Wife Swap" in a account said they had been alive with the ancestors on developing a appearance but weren't anymore. It was unclear whether that proposed appearance was the same one Robert Thomas said Heene was alive on.
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