(Editor’s Update:  As of moments ago, Colorado police officials announced that Falcon Heeney was found safe and sound at his home.  Apparently he was hiding in a box inside his garage.)

Falcon Heene, the 6 year old son of Richard and Mayumi Heene, who appeared on the ABC show Wife Swap, went missing today after he reportedly crawled into a homemade weather balloon.  For regular viewers of Wife Swap, you will remember the family as the family of storm chasers.

Cathy Davis of the Larimer County Sheriff’s Department stated that the balloon was in the backyard. Falcon and his older brother where playing outside when the older brother says he saw Falcon crawl into the balloon and fly away.

TV cameras and rescue personnel followed the balloon as it traveled through the Colorado sky today. The balloon rotated slowly, tipping from side to side before grinding to a halt in a dusty field. The craft was in the air for more than two hours and flew 50 miles before stopping. Once the craft came down, local police and rescuers rushed to the crash site of the homemade balloon aircraft, hoping for the best only to find there was no one inside. There was speculation that he may have fallen out during the flight. However, some experts are saying that the craft would not carry Falcon’s weight.

The local sheriff believes that Falcon never got into the craft and that he is hiding in the neighborhood somewhere.

Early reports were all over the place. Some stated he was injured, some said he died. It wasn’t until the official police press release, that we learned he was not in the craft. Many news sources are confused on whether or not this was a publicity stunt or hoax.