Sep 27, 2007 6:55 pm US/Eastern
Outrage: 9/11 Survivor's Account Questioned
It Turns Out, Many Things Tania Head Says Can't Be Proven
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Tania Head says she survived the 9/11 terror attacks, lost her fiancé and attended Harvard and Stanford. So far, none of that has been corroborated and it's infuriating those who were directly affected by 9/11.
CBS
One legacy of the tragedy of 9/11 features thousands of stories of bravery and survival. But now one woman, a leader of a prominent survivor's group, may have fabricated her story.
And as CBS 2 HD has learned the revelation has left some family members reeling.
Jimmy Riches' son, Jimmy Jr., a firefighter, died on 9/11. Word that Tania Head apparently lied about being a survivor of 9/11 left him fuming.
"It's a big slap in the face to all the heroes," Riches said. "It hurts the family. We're very outraged. My whole family -- me and my three sons -- are firemen and for someone to say that they were there when they weren't ... it's a disgrace."
Head repeated the story of her escape from the south tower to anyone who'd listen.
She said she was rescued by Welles Remy Crowther, a hero who did rescue others, and gave his life in doing so.
A loss similar to one she claimed to experience.
"I was in the tower," Head said. "I lost my fiancé that day."
But apparently, there was no fiancé, one of many parts of her tale that is uncorroborated.
"It's disgusting to all the people that died that day and all the firemen and heroes that did help people that day," Riches said.
Head was frequently in the spotlight, appearing at ground zero with VIPs leading tours.
"When visitors come to New York all they see is this fence and the wall and they have no connection, except what they saw on TV," she said.
She was also the president of the World Trade Center Survivors Network. Not anymore.
In an official statement Thursday the group said: "Tania Head is no longer associated with the World Trade Center Survivor's Network."
The people who work at the Tribute Center have expressed to wcbstv.com their sorrow over this entire sordid affair. They are deeply saddened by the events of that day and want to know the truth. They also want to see Head get the professional help she needs.
But for Jimmy Riches, who spent months at ground zero recovering bodies, including that of his son, the damage is done.
"It's more pain. It's more grief and it never goes away," Riches said. "You don't have any trust you lose all trust in America and that's sad ..."
And evidently, Head's deceptions extend beyond her tale of survival. Despite her claims to the contrary, there are no records she worked for Merrill Lynch, or attended Harvard, or attended Stanford.
Her only statement thus far: "I have done nothing illegal."
Calls to her attorney were not returned.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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