What
Where

Local listings from all over 80,000 websites.

Richard Heene and Falcon Heene (Credit: FOX/KCNC)

  • More Talker Stories
Act Fast! Airline Fare Sale Ends TonightAct Fast! Airline Fare Sale Ends…

Planning to fly this year? You have until midnight tonight to …

Dog Attacks on the Rise in BritainDog Attacks on the Rise in Britain

Preventative measures are being taken in Britain due to the …

Pilot Lands Plane Safely after Hitting DeerPilot Lands Plane Safely after Hitting…

A pilot trying to land at an airport in Grayslake, Ill., had a …

Miniature Goats Becoming Popular PetsMiniature Goats Becoming Popular Pets

Step aside, pooches. Miniature goats are becoming popular pets …

Have an Apple to Mark Johnny Appleseed DayHave an Apple to Mark Johnny Appleseed…

The old saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is being …

Romanian Residents Amused By Drunken Pedestrian SignRomanian Residents Amused By Drunken…

Residents in the western Romanian town of Pecica are finding …

Gwyneth Paltrow Seeks More SleepGwyneth Paltrow Seeks More Sleep

Actress Gwyneth Paltrow seems to have everything in order when …

You Can Rent A Friend in Las VegasYou Can Rent A Friend in Las Vegas

All the lonely people in Sin City never have to be alone again.…

Sea Lions Killed For Eating Endangered SalmonSea Lions Killed For Eating Endangered…

Last year New York City gassed Canada Geese in an effort to …

42 Million Condoms Being Sent to South Africa for Wolrd Cup42 Million Condoms Being Sent to South…

British officials will spend millions of dollars on protection …

  • Marketplace Advertisements

Who is Richard Heene?

Heene's son found safe in garage after search

Updated: Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 8:36 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 15 Oct 2009, 4:05 PM EDT

By LILY FU

(MYFOX NATIONAL) - Fox News is identifying the family whose 6-year-old son got stuck in their homemade balloon as the Heene family from Fort Collins, Colo. KUSA reported that according to the family and officials, the boy got into the aircraft and untied the rope holding it in place before the balloon floated away.

A 2007 profile of Richard Heene and his family in the Denver Post lists his children as Falcon, Ryo and Bradford. Multiple stories report that the boy in the balloon is 6-year-old Falcon Heene.

The Denver Post writes that Richard Heene is a storm chaser, an amateur scientist and is part of a group called the Psyience Detectives along with former TV weatherman Scott Stevens. The two began a project in which they researched how to better predict storm movements.

ABC News reports that Barbara Slusser, a former colleague of Heene's, said that she and Stevens split with Heene because he often put his kids in danger.

"He loves those kids dearly, but part of the reason my co-host Scott and I split from him is because we felt Heene put his kids in the line of fire a bit too much," Slusser said.

"The last straw for us was when Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike were heading toward the Texas coastline and Heene wanted to go back there and take the kids," she said.

A blog which claims to be authored by a good friend of Richard Heene wrote on his blog, "I have known Richard for over 20 years. He is an amazingly creative human (now turned mad scientist) who insists on repeatedly proving that there is a very fine line between genius and insanity ... I could also tell you how Richard is convinced that he has found the secret of an anti-gravity device in the cyclonic action of tornadoes."

KUSA reports that the Heene family had been building an experimental aircraft with a large helium balloon attached at their home. When reached at his home, ABC News reports that Heene was crying and wasn't watching TV reports. He told ABC News that he hoped the aircraft would one day help people commute to work.

Heene, his wife Mayumi and their three children appeared on the ABC show "WifeSwap," and focused on their love of science on the show.

The "WifeSwap" Web site discusses how Karen Martel moved into the Heene's household and quickly became a storm-chaser. In the Martels' household, Mayumi Heene would shout, "Storm approaching, storm approaching!"

According to DenverPost.com published on Aug. 3, 2007, the Heenes regularly take their sons on most of their storm-chasing missions. "I think they really are having fun," said wife Mayumi. "They get so much more that they can't get from any other entertainment."

  • Comments

  • Outbrain
Advertisement
  • Fox 5 Apps & Feeds

 

  • Job Shop

Job Shop

Search thousands of jobs in New York, plus get interview tips and more resources...

  • Marketplace Ad
  • Similar Stories
  • Suggested Search
New Add This