[Merged] US: Boy floats away in helium balloon, now missing/Boy found

Now that I think about it, why would a weather balloon have a basket?

Or is that normal?

I don't think that's normal.  The story I read basically said they were amateur scientist/storm chasers and I guess they used/were going to use the balloon to monitor weather conditions while chasing storms and video taping.  Sounds pretty insane to me but they're obviously not the most intelligent family in the neighborhood.

Haha, Navie, you just proved why reason rules.

@Legs Akimbo: that site is disturbing and seriously sad, but I do feel better about my parenting skills!

The sheriff of Larimer County, Colo., said late Saturday that charges will be filed in the case of the 6-year-old boy who vanished into the rafters of his garage for five hours while the world thought he was zooming through the sky in a flying-saucer-like helium balloon.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/17/AR2009101701811.html

http://gawker.com/5384046/just-the-bullet-points-how-a-former-assistant-ratted-out-balloon-boys-dad


Mr Heen is like a Keystone Kop of the criminal world.