The dad is such a nutjob, it's not surprising it was tough reading him. But, there are some other points: Anybody who heard their initial 911 call and then saw the home video of the balloon launch instantly would have known they were lying, as the stories don't agree. (In the 911 call and statements to the authorities, the parents say they weren't there for the balloon launch, yet they're in the video launching it.) Also, if you believe what the sheriff has said, they actually caught on to these people early on and just played along. The local media have made a pretty big stink over this, as they felt duped by the sheriff essentially lying to them and using them as pawns.