Sudden Searches on the Heene Family

By Mike Krumboltz, Y! Buzz | Thursday, October 15, 2009, 2:45 PM

The Heene Family

ABC

The Heene family had the world transfixed Thursday when reports surfaced that son Falcon, 6, may have floated away in a runaway balloon that had been tethered in the family's backyard. After several terrifying hours, he was found hiding in the family's attic.

Almost immediately, curious Web searchers began to wonder more about the boy's family. The Huffington Post explains that the Heenes were once featured on the ABC reality show "Wife Swap."

According to ABC's official site for the show, the Heenes are a "science-obsessed" family. The site goes on to explain that the Heenes devote time to science experiments that include "looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer." A March 2009 article from the Los Angeles Times, which ran during season 5 of "Wife Swap," notes that father Richard "anchors the family."

Web searches on the incident are soaring. Currently, lookups on "boy in balloon," "boy trapped in balloon," and "heene family" are all generating tremendous interest and concern. Also of interest -- the balloon itself. When it initially appeared, some wondered if it might be a flying saucer.

Talk About It: Did you watch the episode of "Wife Swap" featuring the Heene family?

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