But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. Synopsis [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. On Monday though, Lori. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. 2010 42- , . Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. On Christmas Eve in 2010, Lori Erica Ruff sat in her car outside her in-laws' Longview, Texas home, and ended her life with a gunshot to the head. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. 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). The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. All rights reserved. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Market data provided by Factset. Hosted on Acast. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. [citation needed], After Lori's funeral, some of the Ruffs drove to Leonard to see if they could find out more about her in her house. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. But Blake was in love. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. 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 . Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. With little to no clues about who shemight actually be, the woman once known as Lori Erica Ruffwas registered in the federal governments database of missing and unidentified persons as a Jane Doe. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. or redistributed. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. Who was she? The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. 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 . Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. 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. Although questions about the case remain, Lori Ruff's name has now been removed from the federal government's database for missing and unidentified persons. How had their marriage fallen apart? Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. 2021 Wondery LLC. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. Ruff's true origins remained a mystery until 2016, when her identity was confirmed using a combination of public records and direct-to-consumer autosomal SNP analysis of her husband's and daughter's DNA, leading back to the McLeanCassidy family on Philadelphia's Main Line. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. All rights reserved. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Photo Credit: Alchetron. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. But it wasn't until Lori ended her life on Christmas Eve that the Ruffs would get answers. The house belonged . As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. 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. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. [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]. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified - Facebook Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010), was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. DNA taken from the body might also help crack the case. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. 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. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. 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. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. Lori Erica Ruff and Her Various Identities - Historic Mysteries After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. 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. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. 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. It wasnt until the Ruffs found a safebox hidden inside their daughter-in-laws bedroom closet that showed the woman wasnt who she had claimed to be. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Or at least they should. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. Lori Erica Ruff - YouTube The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. 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. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. 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. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. 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. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. ", "Texas woman's true identity baffles ex-husband, authorities years after her suicide", "She stole another's identity, and took her secret to the grave. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. [8] She would also obsessively track the Ruffs' family history and try to find out their family recipes, but she still refused to talk about her own past. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. Lori Ruff & The Dark Secret She Hid From Everyone 864,142 views Feb 5, 2019 13K Dislike Share Save Weird History 3.81M subscribers Few stories have fascinated the Internet quite like the one of. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. Who was she? When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. 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. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. [2] She would also obsessively track the Ruffs' family history and try to find out their family recipes, but still refused to talk about her past. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. On Christmas Eve 2010, the body of 42-year-old Lori Erica Ruff was found in a car parked outside the Ruff family home in Longview, Texas. 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. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Velling, a seasoned government sleuth, has been stumped in figuring out the true name and background of this Jane Doe, who took on aliases with spy-like sophistication. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. [6] The Ruffs opened and read the letter, but it contained only "ramblings from a clearly disturbed person" and no details about Lori's past. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. Image: Social Security Administration. 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. The mystery surrounding Jane Does identity begins in May 1988, when the unknown woman requested the Bakersfield, Calif., birth certificate of a 2-year-old girl, Becky Sue Turner, who died in a 1971 house fire in Fife, Wash., Velling said. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? 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. She was sending unhinged, threatening emails to the Ruffs; she and her daughter were losing weight; she even possibly tried to break into the Ruffs' home. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. "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 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. Based on her own research, and a DNA sample the Ruff family submitted that indicated Lori had a first cousin named Michael Cassidy, Fitzpatrick suggested Velling contact the Cassidy family in Philadelphia. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 December 24, 2010), was an American identity thief[3] whose true identity remained unknown for nearly six years after her death. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. "My God, thats Kimberly! The family member confirmed Ruff was actually Kimberly McLean, daughter of Deanne Cassidy and James McLean, who had run away from home in Pennsylvania at the age of 18. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. Trophy Wife (2022) - IMDb Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. 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. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. [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]. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. 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. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. 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? But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little 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 . The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. After some failed marriage therapy sessions, Blake Ruff moved back to his parents' house in Longview and filed for divorce, leaving Lori with their daughter in Leonard. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. He noticed the car and called the police. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. In the car were two suicide notes: One 11page note addressed to "my wonderful husband" and another addressed to her daughter, to be opened on her 18th birthday. 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. ", "Texas woman's true identity baffles ex-husband, authorities years after her suicide", "Live chat with investigator, reporter about Jane Doe case", "Mystery woman: After 30 years and a suicide, Lori Ruff's real identity emerges", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lori_Erica_Ruff&oldid=1125479355, Articles with minor POV problems from October 2022, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 06:14. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. 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. 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. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. Where Murder Lies is investigating the mysterious case of identity thief Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, aka Kimberly Maria McLean, who, unbeknown to her husband, led a secret life for decades. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. All rights reserved. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. 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. On December 24, 2010, the body of Lori Erica Ruff was found in her car parked in the driveway of the Ruff family's Texas home. NY Daily News Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. 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 Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. [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. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 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. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean.
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