A US sheriff has said the case of six-year-old Falcon¹ Heene who was believed to be adrift in a hot air balloon, prompting a major alert, was a hoax².

一位美国警长称，日前发生的六岁男童Falcon Heene被热气球漂流所带走并引发公众警惕事件，是一场恶作剧。

Police feared for the boy's life believing him to be in the balloon

Sheriff Jim Alderden said the parents of the boy were actors and had put on a "good show for us, and we bought it".

Falcon's disappearance³ became a media drama, but he was later found at home.

The Colorado sheriff said there had been no arrests yet but charges may include conspiracy⁴（阴谋） and contributing to the delinquency（行为不良，错失） of a minor⁵.

Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 (£305,000) fine.

Sheriff Alderden said at first the parents' acting⁶ abilities had made them appear credible⁷ to the police.

But it had become clear when the son referred to his hiding in the attic⁸（阁楼） as part of "a show" during a television interview that they were not telling the the truth.

He said the house of Richard and Mayumi Heene has been searched for evidence that the family was hoping to use the incident to obtain a lucrative⁹（获利的，合算的） contract for a television reality.

"We believe that we have evidence at this point to indicate that it was a publicity¹⁰ stunt¹¹（宣传绝招） done with the hopes of marketing¹² themselves or better marketing themselves for a reality television show at some point in the future," he said.

The family has made previous appearances on a US reality show, Wife Swap¹³.

Police had also found that the balloon was extremely flimsy（易坏的，脆弱的）, made of plywood（夹板，胶合板）, cardboard and held together with "string and duct tape".

Sheriff Alderden said the police may seek compensation for the time wasted.

US news networks devoted¹⁴ hours of live coverage¹⁵ to the drama on Thursday after it was reported the boy might be in a balloon floating high over Colorado.

When the aircraft landed in fields there was no trace of him, prompting a major ground search and further fears for his safety.

The boy, his two brothers and his parents gave numerous TV interviews late on Thursday and early Friday - insisting the disappearance was not staged.