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'Balloon boy' found alive at home 'Balloon boy' found alive at home
(40 minutes later)
A six-year-old boy thought to have been carried away by a helium balloon in Colorado was in fact hiding in a box in an attic at home, an official has said.A six-year-old boy thought to have been carried away by a helium balloon in Colorado was in fact hiding in a box in an attic at home, an official has said.
Larimer county sheriff Jim Alderman told reporters that apparently Falcon Heene had "been there the whole time". Larimer county sheriff Jim Alderden told reporters that apparently Falcon Heene had "been there the whole time".
Police had been searching for the boy after the balloon came down with no sign of him aboard. Police had been searching for the boy after his brother said he had taken off with the balloon.
The drama was played out on TV, with US networks devoting their airtime to live footage of the balloon over Colorado.The drama was played out on TV, with US networks devoting their airtime to live footage of the balloon over Colorado.
The balloon landed in fields and was surrounded by rescue vehicles after a two-hour flight.The balloon landed in fields and was surrounded by rescue vehicles after a two-hour flight.
A sheriff's spokeswoman earlier said the boy had reportedly climbed into a basket attached to the balloon but the basket was not attached when it landed. Officials said Falcon Heene may have hid because he was scared
She said his parents had been "very traumatised". Police officers searched on the ground in the direction in which the balloon flew, as well as the neighbourhood where the family lives.
Police officers had searched on the ground in the direction in which the balloon flew, as well as the neighbourhood where the family lives. But Mr Alderden then announced that the boy had been found alive and well in a box in the attic of his family's house.
Access door He said the house had been searched twice, but the search had obviously not been thorough enough. He also said that police had questioned the brother repeatedly.
"What he said was that he saw his brother climb into that apparatus and he was very adamant, they interviewed him multiple times and that was his consistent story," Mr Alderden said.
"I don't want to make a conjecture, but this is not the first time when we have been involved in searching for some child and once the child realises people are looking for them, they hide because they're afraid they're going to get in trouble," he added.
Sheriff Jim Alderden on the discovery of Falcon Heene at home
A sheriff's spokeswoman said earlier that Falcon Heene was thought to have climbed into a basket attached to the balloon but the basket was not attached when it landed.
The silver balloon, apparently made by the boy's father, reportedly reached heights of 7,000ft (2km).The silver balloon, apparently made by the boy's father, reportedly reached heights of 7,000ft (2km).
It was floating about 40 miles north of Denver before it came down.It was floating about 40 miles north of Denver before it came down.
Emergency vehicles surrounded the aircraft as it landed
Earlier, Larimer County sheriff's office spokeswoman Cathy Davis told reporters the balloon had been tethered in the back garden of the boy's family home.
She said two of the sons were playing outside when the older boy saw the younger one climb in, apparently through an access door, and the balloon fly away.
The boy's father, Richard Heene, apparently used the balloon to track the weather.The boy's father, Richard Heene, apparently used the balloon to track the weather.
Live footage of the balloon, which was being tracked by media helicopters, showed it soaring high above the ground.Live footage of the balloon, which was being tracked by media helicopters, showed it soaring high above the ground.