It was a heartwarming tale — the 6-year-old Colorado boy who was apparently carried aloft in a wayward helium balloon on Thursday, only to turn up several hours later after a frantic, widely televised search.

Falcon Heene, fearful of being punished for messing around with his father’s balloon, had been hiding above the garage at the family’s home in Fort Collins, Colorado, his parents said. But on Thursday evening, after Falcon and his family appeared on CNN, the blogosphere was sceptical.

Falcon Heene said on TV that he had heard people in the house calling his name. When asked by his father, Richard Heene, why he hadn’t responded, Falcon said, “You guys said we did this for the show.” After the comment, the internet came alive with suggestions that the incident was staged.

CNN showed a home video of the balloon taking off, apparently accidentally as Falcon Heene’s father, Richard, gestures with his arms and legs in an angry manner.

In a posting typical of many found on an array of websites, one person commented on the Denver Post site: “Clearly a hoax. The kid said he had all of his toys and snacks up there with him in the attic. Now how would he have that if he accidentally released the balloon and then ran up there to hide?”

“Scam scam scam: The parents set it up,” said a woman on Facebook. A comment on coloradoan.com said, “at minimum they need to be billed for the emergency personnel and services expended in this fiasco.”

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