‘The Woman Who Wasn’t There’: What if the Most Famous 9/11 Hero Wasn’t There at All?

Tania Head, Ken Smith and Linda Gormley pose in front of the 11 Tears Memorial
Tania Head, Ken Smith and Linda Gormley pose in front of the 11 Tears Memorial

After the tragic events of September 11, 2001, we heard many stories about heroic acts in the face of such horror: firefighters and police officers who selflessly helped others, putting their own safety in jeopardy; communities pulling together to provide support; and volunteers helping their neighbors search for their loved ones.

Tania Head was one of those heroes. A survivor of the Twin Tower attacks, Tania told a brave and courageous story about escaping from the 78th floor of the south tower that day — the only survivor of her Merrill Lynch team. Her message of hope and inspiration propelled her to become a leader among a new community of survivors, eventually becoming the President of the World Trade Center Survivors Network.

It wasn’t until six years after that tragic day that the truth about Tania’s story was revealed. As The New York Times fact checked a story about the heroic tale of Tania Head, they discovered something extremely alarming: Tania’s story wasn’t true.

Today, Investigation Discovery takes us inside this shocking story with The Woman Who Wasn’t There, directed by Angelo Guglielmo Jr., who was introduced to Tania through volunteer work at Ground Zero. Guglielmo, who calls the story a “psychological odyssey,” interviews friends and supporters of Tania who were shocked to learn that her story was fabricated. Once the truth of Tania’s story began to come out, her friends had one looming question: who is Tania Head?

The Woman Who Wasn’t There premieres on Investigation Discovery tonight at 8pm ET/PT. You can chat live with director Angelo Guglielmo Jr. tonight at 8pm ET and check out @DiscoveryID today for a Twitter contest to win a copy of the book The Woman Who Wasn’t There.