In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Although plenty of questions about the case still have not been answered, Lori Ruff's name was removed from the federal government's database of missing and unidentified persons. At some point in the past, Lori had been a dancer at an exclusive gentlemans club, and a post-mortem examination revealed that Lori, not Becky, had received breast implants. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. In the box a number of documents were discovered which revealed that Ruff had stolen the identity of Becky Sue Turner, a 2-year-old girl killed in a fire in 1971 in Fife, Washington, in 1988, and then changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. The other was for Blake. McLean, posing as Becky Sue Turner, then appeared before a judge in Dallas on July 5, 1988, and legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. And when asked about her days in high school, she said she skipped it and went straight to college. The house belonged . Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? It did. Unresolved is an investigative and immersive look at those stories, as host Micheal Whelan tries to determine why these stories - unsolved crimes and other unexplained phenomena - have no ending. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. [6] The fact that Ruff was able to cover up her identity so well in a time before the Internet has led to speculation that she had enlisted the services of a so-called identity broker.[6]. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. Hosted on Acast. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. A Net Inceptions project. There were two other pieces of paper. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Be the first to contribute! A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Photo Credit: Alchetron. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. All of that work by the investigators traced several links back in the history of Lori Ruff's false identities, but they still didn't know who she really was. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little bit of luck to learn the truth. Loris behavior was highly erratic in the timebetween theseparationand her death; she sent threatening emails to Blake and his family, and might have even attempted a break-in at Blakes parents home. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. As Blake began the daunting task of sorting through his wife's possessions, he knew that he would have to deal with one thing that Lori had always told him he was to never touch. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. In May of 2016, several commentators on the internet noticed similarities to Ruff's story and to the plot of a 1987 crime drama called Positive I.D., which was directed by a professor of film at UT Arlington. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It's not exactly clear why Kimberly McLean fled (most family accounts suggest it was due to a dislike of her new stepfather), but extended family immediately recognized the woman in the investigator's photo. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. She then received a Texas driver license in 1989, and the next year qualified for a GED[2] then enrolled in Dallas County Community College. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. In September 2011 the Ruff family, with the help of a congressional aide, sought the help of Joe Velling, an investigator for the Social Security Administration (SSA). Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Lori Erica Ruff (2021 Podcast Episode) Plot Showing all 0 items Jump to: Summaries It looks like we don't have any Plot Summaries for this title yet. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . After obtaining the driver's license, Ruff went before a judge in Dallas on July 5 1988 and legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy; a week later she obtained a social security number, effectively erasing her past. The house was discovered in disarray, with piles of dirty dishes, laundry, and trash stacked up around the house, as well as shredded documents and papers with incoherent scribblings on them. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Interesting history topics are just a click away. He noticed the car and called the police. After following numerous leads he was stumped, and sought the help of the general public to identify her through an article published June 22, 2013, in The Seattle Times. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. She was eventually identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 17, in the fall of 1986, because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather. Lori Erica Ruff (born Kimberly McLean, October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010) was a woman who took her own life while living in Longview, Texas. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. On Christmas Eve 2010, the body of 42-year-old Lori Erica Ruff was found in acar parked outside the Rufffamily home in Longview, Texas. "True identity of Lori Ruff revealed six years after she committed suicide", "After 30 Years, Lori Ruff's True Identity Finally Revealed", "5 Creepy-As-Hell Stories Of Real People With No Identity", "She stole another's identity, and took her secret to the grave. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. Follow along with 48 Hours every week as award-winning CBS News correspondents investigate the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Market data provided by Factset. Last spring, we brought you 8 Mysterious People Without a Past, a list of individuals who seemed to have had much of their early existence wiped from history. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Synopsis El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. Or, Becky Sue Turner? (Perkins, who was black and who marketed his legal services to LA's African-American community, had never taken on a white client during his career.) Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. Whilethe file on Lori Erica Ruff may be closed, her bizarre case continues to fascinate, and will forever raise thechillingquestion: Just how well do you know those closest to you? She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. So, it was granted without question. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Late in 2015, Velling received a call from a former nuclear physicist and forensic genealogist named Colleen Fitzpatrick, who had been following the case online. Within the next two years, she . During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. She was eventually identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 18, in the fall of 1986, because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Review our. [2] The writings on the paper found in the lockbox included the scribblings "North Hollywood police", "402 months", and "Ben Perkins", who turned out to be an attorney. 1,529 likes. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. [3] The fact that Ruff was able to cover up her identity so well in a time before the Internet has led to speculation that she had visited an "identity broker".[3]. Using a DNA analysis from Ruffs daughter, investigators were able to trace Ruffs identity back to a family in Pennsylvania, whose daughter had disappeared in 1986, when she was 17. ", "Mystery of the woman with two names: Investigator tries to discover true identity of mother who committed suicide three years ago after husband finds evidence of a double life hidden in a lock box", List of unidentified decedents in the United States, List of unidentified decedents in California, List of unidentified murder victims in the United States, List of unidentified murder victims in California, List of unidentified murder victims in Texas, List of unidentified murder victims in New York, List of unidentified murder victims in Florida, List of unidentified murder victims in Michigan, List of unidentified murder victims in Pennsylvania, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Lori_Erica_Ruff&oldid=718811075, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Years later, in the life she created with Ruff, tensions between the Verizon account manager and the wife he never really knew eventually reached a breaking point. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. Ruff's earliest known activity dates back to May 1988, when she requested the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who was killed, along with two of her siblings, in a house fire in Fife, Washington in 1971. McLean used the child's birth certificate to obtain an Idaho state identification card, then moved to Texas and had her name legally changed to Lori Erica Kennedy . Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. Want more real-life mysteries? Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. Find a Grave For two years, Social Security investigator Joseph Velling has been working to uncover the real identity of Lori Erica Ruff, who was Lori Erica Kennedy before marrying into an East Texas family in 2004. Legal Statement. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. McLean assumed a series of aliases before marrying Blake Ruff in 2004 and settling downleaving no trace of Kimberly McLean, at least until Fitzpatrick began researching her family tree. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. She was eventually identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 17, in the fall of 1986, because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. Others, including a private detective, tasked with finding out more about her, consider that an incident in her past concerned her sufficiently to create an entirely new identity. But who she really was is still a mystery. In the car were two suicide notes: an 11-page one addressed to "my wonderful husband" and another addressed to her daughter, to be opened on her 18th birthday. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas.After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. There was a successful application for a new social security number. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her family's driveway after spending decades using stolen identities to erase a past that remains mired in mystery. Follows Toni, who has a complete breakdown and ends up in a mental facility after the unexpected news that her husband was murdered, and even she is a suspect. Authorities inspected both letters, which they described asramblings from a clearly disturbed person.They contained no reference toLoris life as an identity thief, nor a confession of her trueidentity. 2021 Wondery LLC. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. It's a big Universe full of wonders. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. She also began sending harassing emails to the Ruffs, created a scene at a custody exchange, and stole a set of house keys from them. [9][6], After Lori's funeral, some of the Ruffs drove to Leonard to see if they could find out more about her in her house. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little bit of luck to learn the truth.Join Mike and . Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. When problems became too difficult for him to continue, Blake finally accepted that their marriage wasnt working and subsequently moved out of the home they shared. Sources Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. In 2010, a woman in Texas named Lori Ruff parked her Tahoe in the driveway of the house where her estranged husband Blake had been living since he had walked out on her after their relationship had soured. NY Daily News [6], Ruff was "extremely protective" of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her and even taking the baby with her to use the bathroom. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. The house belonged to his parents and it was his father who discovered her [] The post Lori Erica Ruff 93 Generation Why appeared first on The Generation Why Podcast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Lori didnt take this at all well. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. On Monday though, Lori. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. True Crime. Market data provided by Factset. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. Join Jim Clemente (former FBI profiler), Laura Richards (criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard) and Lisa Zambetti (Casting director for CBS' Criminal Minds) as they profile behavior from real criminal cases. Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. Within the next two years, she obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a 2-year-old girl who had died with her two sisters in a house fire in 1971. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. Papers belonging to Ruff, who had been married with a child, surfaced after her suicide indicating she had once been known as Lori Kennedy, and prior to that, as Becky Sue Turner, the name of a young girl who had died in a Washington state fire in 1971. Her Idaho identification card listed her as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and her Dallas drivers license had her at 5 feet, 10 inches, but she was really somewhere in-between, Velling said. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. Lori Erica Ruff, a Texan who committed suicide in 2010 and left behind a series of puzzling documents hinting that she wasnt who her family thought she was, has now been identified. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. She enrolled in Dallas County Community College,[7] and in 1997 she graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in business administration. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little bit of luck to learn the truth.Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. They married and had a daughter together. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. Who was she? They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. Ordinary people who do unthinkable thingsThe Minds of Madness is a True Crime Podcast that examines the most disturbing criminal minds and the impact violent crimes have on survivors of homicide. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. How had their marriage fallen apart? Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. They separated, but on Christmas Eve, 2010, the woman everyone knew as Lori Erica Ruff pulled into the driveway of the Ruff family home and shot herself. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. In the box, which she told her husband never to touch, were all the documents exposing her elaborate ruse the paperwork showing the name change and the application for a Social Security number, among other receipts. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. In 2010, a woman in Texas named Lori Ruff parked her Tahoe in the driveway of the house where her estranged husband Blake had been living since he had walked out on her after their relationship had soured. The woman used the birth certificate to obtain a valid Idaho identification card under the name Becky Sue Turner, issued on June 16, 1988, and bearing the photo of Jane Doe.
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