Balloon Boy Falcon Heene 911 Call Released

By: Neil Katz
Topics: 911

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Photo: "Balloon boy" Falcon Heene.

NEW YORK (CBS/AP) A 911 call from 6-year-old "balloon boy" Falcon Heene's home has been obtained by CBS News.

911 Call From Parents of "Balloon Boy"
Photos: The Bizarre "Balloon Boy" Incident

In the call, the boy's parents, Mayumi Heene and Richard Heene, sound frantic.

Mayumi Heene cries softly as she begs the 911 operator for someone "to get my son."

There is also a bizarre dialogue where Mayumi Heene explains that her son vanished in a flying saucer about 20 minutes before the call. The 911 operator tries to ascertain if there is a tracking device.

Later, Richard Heene comes on the phone to explain how the balloon works. "We had it tethered. It wasn't supposed to take off," he said. "It emits a million volts on the outer skin."

The Heene family's plight reached national attention Thursday when several television networks televised live shots of a silver weather balloon streaking through the sky. Richard and Mayumi Heene believed their son was trapped in it and in mortal danger. It later turned out he was hiding in the attic.

The disappearance and sudden discovery of the boy have raised questions about whether it was all an elaborate attention-getting stunt orchestrated by the Heenes, who have appeared in ABC's Wife Swap twice, or simply a bizarre case of a child who ran away and hid after getting spooked by a scolding from his father.

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden said authorities do not believe at this point if it was a hoax but he would meet with investigators Friday to decide whether to look into the matter further. Asked during an impromptu news conference outside his house whether the incident was a stunt, Richard Heene said: "That's horrible. After the crap we just went through. No. No, no, no."

911 Call From Parents of "Balloon Boy"
Photos: The Bizarre "Balloon Boy" Incident

MORE ON CRIMESIDER
October 16, 2009 - It Sure Wasn't Altitude Sickness, But Balloon Boy Falcon Heene Throws Up Twice on National TV

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by scubbasteve01 October 19, 2009 9:36 PM EDT: BALLOON WARS
EPISODE 2: Revenge Of law Enforcement

While seeking shelter in the mountains on a mission from the evil empire under the control of Lord Limbaugh. The Heene family sent millions and millions of balloon droids all over the country and the state of Colorado attracting attention from the local and national media forcing law enforcement to take action.
An army led by Sheriff Alderden was in charge of taking care of this problem before the bounty hunter Boba Big Guy took full control of the situation?..; Reply to this comment


by dogme09 October 16, 2009 9:01 PM EDT: "When our son was about this age he crawled into a vent and went to sleep. We had the Village Police, Fire Department and everyone else we could think of out looking for him. LOL"

That's the thing, people for some reason FAIL to realize that this is all too common (Kids hiding).

So instead the public is now all too ready to CONVICT the Heene's.

This whole thing reminds me of that story in Australia where the mother was accused of killing her baby, when in reality a wild dog snuck into her tent and stole/killed her baby.

The public crucified her and she never got a fair trial. It was one of the more horrible examples of the media driving the prosecution.; Reply to this comment


by dogme09 October 16, 2009 8:58 PM EDT: "If that was my kid, the very FIRST thing I would have done was phoned 911. Then I would have jumped in my car and followed it.

The Sheriff said that when they called 911, they would have been told to stay put, but they didn't call 911 for 20 minutes!"

Uhm...the first place he called was the FAA, to warn them about the object and also so they can TRACK IT. The FAA then asked Richard to call 911. Richard mentioned that he thought it was weird to call 911 since they deal with stuff that happens on the ground. Y'know...FAA deals with stuff that happens in the AIR? Like a rogue weather balloon?

Suggestion: put that pitchfork, torch down and stop playing ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE for a sec and consider this: Maybe the Heene's are telling the truth?; Reply to this comment


by SEinATL October 16, 2009 5:18 PM EDT: Has anyone considered that the balloon boy's parents could have given their kid ipecac syrup to make him throw up (rather than spilling the beans) during the morning show interviews? I wouldn't put it past them!; Reply to this comment


by erasmus111 October 16, 2009 3:40 PM EDT: If that was my kid, the very FIRST thing I would have done was phoned 911. Then I would have jumped in my car and followed it.

The Sheriff said that when they called 911, they would have been told to stay put, but they didn't call 911 for 20 minutes!; Reply to this comment