This is a true story about a family of civic minded citizens from a rural town in Northwest Ohio, and how their lives were ruined one night through no fault of their own.  You see we have CSI, CSI New York, CSI Miami, Bones, NCIS, NCIS Los Angeles, and various other popular TV shows which present the huge strides made in Forensic Sciences.  It is fair to say that these TV shows more than over embellish the abilities of the average forensic scientist. The problem with this is many Americans believe  what they see on TV, how else could GW Bush be elected, then re-elected?

This story is a tragic tale of a family headed by an entrepreneur, who owned several small businesses in a town we will call Freetown. After working for some 30 years building and managing several small businesses this husband and wife team decided to sell their businesses and retire.  Instead of taking their money and running for the sandy beaches of Marco Island, the father (much to his regret) decided to re-invest their new found fortune in his hometown.

 Mr. Heyman decided to take his profits from the sale of his businesses, and purchase an old, dilapidated restaurant on the end of town.  This fine eatery, saw huge support from area neighbors in it’s heyday.  Mr. Heyman decided to take his profits, purchase this eatery, and completely renovate the building making it one of the most attractive eateries in the area.  The renovations and additions took some 14 months, with the Heymans and friends doing a majority of the re-construction. The family decided to keep as much of the original ambiance as possible by retaining and utilizing much of the native woodwork, timbers and hardwoods they found on the premises.

Upon completion of the huge project the restaurant opened to overwhelming crowds, and immediate success. The new attraction exceeded all projected income and patron projections and was an instant hit.  After settling into their new positions as absentee owners, leaving most of the day to day responsibilities to a group of department managers and one general manager, the Heymans realized they had made the right choice.

Because of some unrest by overworked employees, the internal workings of the new restaurant operations required personnel changes.  This required the Heymans to fill in the positional gaps, and work at their new facility more than they had anticipated. As this family had done for years earlier while owning and operating a motel and restaurant, they made plans to spend a weekend away for Mr. Heyman’s birthday in January 2001. However, due to an upsurge in business and new management they had to put off this venture until the following month.