ComputerForensicsDigest.com

Earlier this month, the nation was temporarily captivated by the possibility that 6-year-old Falcon Heene had accidentally launched himself into the atmosphere on a homemade UFO-shaped balloon that traveled more than 50 miles from his Fort Collins, Colorado home. In addition to consuming vast quantities of the airwaves, the incident mobilized various National Guard and law enforcement units, and even shut down Denver International Airport briefly (the balloon ended its 2-hour flight just 12 miles from the airport).

Falcon was reportedly discovered three hours later in the attic of his home, but official doubts about the lifting ability of the balloon and an unguarded interview answer by Falcon ("We did it for the show") triggered an official investigation into whether the entire event had been a publicity-seeking hoax.

Not surprisingly, computer forensics quickly entered the picture. Three days after the rescue operation, Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden obtained a search warrant for the Heene home and among other things, seized the family computer to search for evidence that the event had been staged.

Less than 48 hours, the forensics firm Kessler International issued a press release claiming that "e-mails secured by computer forensic engineers have proven the 'Balloon Boy' stunt a hoax." The source of Kessler's announcement is unclear, and an inquiry to the company so far has gone unanswered.

So far, prosecutors have not decided whether to file charges against the Heene's or seek restitution for the estimated $2 million spent on the rescue effort. In a bizarre twist, however, the local district attorney has said that he will investigate whether Sheriff Alderben violated the privacy of the Heene family when he told reporters that child welfare workers were investigating the parents. Under Colorado law, all such investigations are supposed to remain confidential.

To paraphrase New York Post columnist Cindy Adams, "only in America, kids, only in America."