FORT COLLINS, Colo. (October 18, 2009)—The report from a one-time Waco man and his wife that their 6-year-old son had been carried off in a runaway helium balloon was a hoax and a publicity stunt, Larimer County, Colo. Sheriff Jim Alderden said during a news conference early Sunday afternoon.

No criminal complaints have been filed, but state and federal charges will be considered Alderden said.

Richard and Mayumi Heene had insisted they believed their son was in the balloon, but Sunday Alderden said the claims were bogus and that the stunt was intended to try to win some sort of reality TV deal.

The family had twice appeared on ABC’s “Wife Swap.”

All three children were aware of the hoax, Alderden said.

Richard Heene is a self-described amateur scientist and storm chase whose interest in weather stemmed from a tornado that struck in 1979 outside of McGregor when he lived in Waco and worked as a carpenter, according to a 2007 Denver Post profile.

The report that Falcon Heene had taken off in a basket suspended from the 20-foot homemade Mylar balloon Thursday led to a frantic midair rescue effort as TV news and military helicopters trailed the balloon as it traveled at about 25 miles per hour at altitudes of as high as 5,500 feet.

When the balloon gently touched down in a dusty field, the boy was not aboard.

He was later found in the attic over the garage of his family’s home in Fort Collins, Colo.

Initially, authorities seemed inclined to accept the family’s claims, but after the Heene’s appeared on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” and the boy answered a question about why he didn’t come out by saying it was for the show, authorities became skeptical.

They questioned the parents separately Saturday and based on the interviews were able to obtain search warrants.

Sheriff’s deputies searched the family’s home Saturday night and left early Sunday morning carrying several boxes and a computer.

Hours earlier, the sheriff had announced he was pursuing criminal charges in the case, but didn't say who would be charged or what the charges would be.