Highland Park balloon hobbyist club may have had balloon taken out by sidewinder missile

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. - A balloon hobbyist group from northern Illinois may hold the key to the mystery of what the military shot down over Canada last week.

Circumstantial evidence from the group suggests that a sidewinder missile may have taken out a balloon costing as little as $12.

The military has wrapped up its recovery of the Chinese spy balloon shot down off the South Carolina coast, but it's the three smaller objects blown out of the sky in the eight days after that are sparking all the questions.

And — the answers may begin in the north suburbs. 

The FBI confirms it has talked to a balloon hobbyist club from the Highland Park area. One of their balloons is missing in the same area an object that was shot down over Alaska.

Critics are questioning the U.S. response.

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"They've shot a $400,000 missile, sidewinder missile, at three balloons that were industrial balloons or weather balloons. That makes absolutely no sense to me," said retired Lt. General Keith Kellogg, former Pence national security adviser. 

"No apologies here. You make the best decisions you can with the information you have," said John Kirby, National Security Council.

President Joe Biden admitted on Thursday that the three were most likely private balloons used for recreation or scientific research and the White House says U.S. airspace is safe. 

"There shouldn't be any overarching concern by the American people that the skies are somehow full of attack balloons or that they're that they're at greater risk," said Kirby.

The president has tasked the government with updating regulations for unmanned aerial objects.

"We do need to have a better system to determine what are objects that are truly dangerous to American security and what objects are more innocent," said Rep. Ro Khanna.

FOX 32 has reached out to the balloon club, and we're hoping for an update on their missing balloon.