Balloon Mom Told Cops It Was All a Hoax

The mother of the 6-year-old boy once feared missing inside a runaway helium balloon admitted the whole saga was a hoax, according to court documents released today. Mayumi Heene told sheriff's deputies that she and husband Richard "knew all along that Falcon was hiding in the residence" in Fort Collins, Colo., according to an affidavit used to get a search warrant for the home.

She allegedly told investigators the incident was a hoax meant to make them more marketable to the media. "Mayumi described that she and Richard Heene devised this hoax approximately two weeks earlier. ... She and Richard had instructed their three children to lie to authorities as well as the media regarding this hoax," the affidavit said. Richard Heene has denied a hoax. His lawyer, David Lane, says he is waiting to see the evidence in the case. (More Mayumi Heene stories.)