'Balloon Boy' Falcon Heene's Okay, After Hiding in a Cardboard Box

Update:

• "Hoax: 'Balloon Boy' Falcon Heene's Okay; His Parents, Not So Much"
  (October 18, 2009)

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"Boy said to have floated off in balloon found safe"
The Associated Press (October 15, 2009)

"...A 6-year-old boy was found hiding in a cardboard box in his family's garage attic Thursday after being feared aboard a homemade helium balloon that hurtled 50 miles through the sky on live television. Sheriff Jim Alderden turned to reporters during a news conference and gave a thumbs up and said, 'He's at the house.'

" 'Apparently he's been there the whole time,' Alderden said.

"Investigators had searched the house twice, and interviewed one of Falcon Heene's older brothers several times, he said. He said the brother reported that the boy floated off in the balloon was 'very adamant,' and the parents 'were besides [!] themselves with worry.'..."

"6-year-old Colorado boy found alive after setting balloon adrift"
CNN (October 15, 2009)

"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.

"Falcon Heene was found in a box in the attic of his family's Fort Collins home, according to authorities.

"People across the world watched Thursday as the homemade helium balloon soared 7,000 feet over eastern Colorado for more than an hour and a half.

"A sibling said he saw the Falcon get into the craft Thursday morning, authorities said.

"But the boy was not inside the craft when it made a soft landing near Keenesburg, about 60 miles from its starting point, at 1:35 p.m. (3:35 p.m. ET).

"Shortly after the landing, authorities launched a ground search and suggested that Falcon never took off in the balloon.

" 'I'm very confident we will find him. I think it's a matter of him being a little scared,' Larimer County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Eloise Campanella said. 'Maybe he's not ready to be found.'..."

I think Eloise Campanella is spot-on. Young Falcon would have known that the balloon was very important to his father - and would likely enough have felt responsible for it's release even if he hadn't had much to do with it.

Hiding under the bed - or in a cardboard box - is a rather natural thing to do. Especially when "the authorities" search the house. Twice. At that point, Falcon might reasonably (he's six, remember) think that his dad was really mad at him.

I've been following this, off and on, since around 2:30, Central time. This news is a huge relief - and an unusually prompt and clear answer to prayer.

More:

• "Boy Believed to Have Been in Runaway Balloon Found"
  FOXNews (October 15, 2009)
• "Fort Collins boy who went up in balloon craft found at his home"
  Denver Post (October 15, 2009)