10/23/2009: On 10/17/2009 "Mayumi Heene told Larimer County investigators that she and her husband, Richard Heene, knew that their 6-year-old son Falcon was hiding at their Fort Collins home the entire time, even as police and military scrambled to search for the boy, according to the documents."
Source: "Documents: 'Balloon boy' dad had hoax in mind, wife says." Cnn.com. 10/23/2009.
10/18/2009: Criminal charges will be filed in the 10/15/2009 helium-filled giant Mylar balloon episode involving the Heene's son Falcon.
Mayumi Iizuka: Abt. 1964 in Japan.
How Richard and Mayumi Met:
Mayumi and Richard met at an acting school in Hollywood.Alan Gathright: "Heene lived for many years in Southern California, where he and his future wife met as aspiring actors at the Lee Strasberg acting school and launched a production company."
Source: Alan Gathright. "Deputies Investigated Disturbance Between Ballon Boy's Dad, Mom." TheDenver Channel.com. 10/16/2009.
Children:
- Bradford Heene:
- Ryo Heene:
- Falcon Heene:
Occupations:
Richard: Reality TV participant, weather chaser, contractor, amateur scientist.Mayumi: Reality TV participant.
Residence:
Fort Collins, Colorado.Previous Marriages:
According to CNN.com, Richard was previously married. In an interview with Nancy Grace, his ex-wife Patty referred to Richard as a "master of mental warfare" and that she divorced Richard Heene out of fear for her children.Source: Luchina Fisher. "Balloon Boy Mom: Co-Conspirator or Abused Wife?" ABCNews.go.com. 10/20/2009.
Scott Stevens: "It's a cultural thing, and he leveraged that knowledge. He believed that Asian women can be subservient, and that's what he wanted. But it takes two to tango, and she was with him for more than a decade. Every day that was the dynamic in play."
Source: Luchina Fisher. "Balloon Boy Mom: Co-Conspirator or Abused Wife?" ABCNews.go.com. 10/20/2009.
Latoya West: "But did all the nationwide attention from the show leave the Heene family hungry for more? ... In an interview on Larry King Live, Falcon was asked why he had been hiding in the attic while he heard people calling for him. "You guys said that we did this for the show," the six-year-old boy said to his father. Busted? Hmm. It looks like after Wife Swap, the Heene family's life may have turned into one big reality show."
Source: Latoya West. "Balloon Drama Takes Family from Wife Swap to CNN." Realitytv.about.com. 10/16/2009.
"Alderden said the charges that could be filed against the parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, include conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and false reporting to authorities. The parents are not currently under arrest ... the sheriff's department planned to meet with federal authorities to consider additional charges. Some of the most serious charges each carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison and a $500,000 fine ... He also said the department has concerns about the possibility of domestic violence in the family."
Source: "Colo. sheriff calls balloon saga a hoax." Msnbc.com. 10/18/1009
Joseph Berger: "But he [Alderden] said he has learned in the course of the investigation that the Heenes had been schooled in dramatic techniques, meeting with an acting school in Hollywood."
Source: Joseph Berger, Brian Stelter. "Sheriff Calls Balloon Chase a Hoax." NYTimes.com. 10/18/2009.
Mark Sappenfield: "Alderden also said that at one meeting with local officials Mayumi was advised to go to a safe house with her children. Alderden said 911 dispatchers had received two previous calls from the Heene house: one that was determined to be a mistake and one that involved "suspicious circumstances" of potential domestic violence against Mayumi. Alderden said there had not been sufficient evidence to proceed. Mayumi rebuffed the offer of the safe house, and Alderden said local child-welfare officials did not believe they had sufficient grounds to take the children into protective custody."
Source: Mark Sappenfield. "Balloon boy charges: What are they? Police tell all." CSMonitor.com. 10/18/2009.
Foster Kamer: "In this case, it's the story of a guy with a dream that's become too common: quickfire fame, notoriety, a reality television show. Heene had tasted that nasty once-forbidden fruit of easy notoriety on Wife Swap. Twice. And the Heene family didn't look great then, either: Heene was a father with a short temper who couldn't discipline his kids. He was eccentric and a guy of questionable stability, but when you score it with music, sound effects, and frame it between commercials, it looks a lot less harmless than it actually is."
Source: Foster Kamer. "Deflated: Balloon Boy's the Story of Our Ugly, Sorry Era." Gawker.com. 10/18/2009.
ABC Wifeswap: "Richard calls Mayumi his 'ninja wife'; she maintains equipment, drives the storm-mobile, films tornadoes and waits with the kids while Richard jumps on his motorbike, heads into the eye of the storm and launches rockets to measure magnetic forces. At home the family are as chaotic as a twister: the kids have no table manners and throw themselves around the house, and while Richard devotes every moment to his research, he expects Mayumi to cook, clean and run the house without any help."
Source: Heene/Martel Wife Swap Episode Guide
Richard: "Grown men like a younger woman because of that. Once a woman hits 25, it’s downhill from there ... I’m so glad my wife was born in Japan."
Source: Lisa Stauber. "Wife Swap Storm's Brewing!" RealityTVMagazine.sheknows.com. 10/3/2008.
