The nature of these scribblings led some followers of the case to believe that Ruff was trying to avoid prison time, due to the references to police, a possible jail-term length, and the name of Ben Perkins, a Los Angeles attorney. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. Lori Erica Ruff. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . 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. 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. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. The following people have been ruled out as possible identities for Ruff:[5], Ruff was a white female, who was approximately 41 to 50 years old when she committed suicide. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Until now, Lori Erica Ruff was known to authorities as Jane Doe a woman of mystery who jumped from state to state, taking on the identities of other people. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. [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]. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. 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. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. 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. Within the next two years, she . "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, that she had had an unhappy childhood, and that she had no siblings; she also said her father had been a failed stockbroker. Hair pulled from the woman's head had skin on it that helped forensic investigators learn she had one of the genes associated with coronary artery disease. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. 1,529 likes. The nature of these scribblings has led some to believe that Ruff was trying to avoid prison time, due to the references to police, a possible jail term length, and the name of an attorney. And, as he flipped through multiple IDs with pictures of his wife at different ages, he realized they all had different names printed on them, according to the Daily Mail. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. 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. 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. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? "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 had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. McLean also asked them not to come after her. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. 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. or redistributed. Within the next two years, she obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who had died with her two sisters in a house fire in 1971. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. 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. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. 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. 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. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. The house belonged . The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. DNA taken from the body might also help crack the case. 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. 2010 42- , . The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. One was for her daughter. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. ", "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. Using DNA analysis from Ruff's daughter, investigators were able to trace Ruff's identity back to a family in Pennsylvania, whose teenage daughter had disappeared in 1986, per Mental Floss. They married and had a daughter together. 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 wanted to live in her little cocoon.. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Nothing. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. [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. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. But who she really was is still a mystery. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number a move that effectively erased her past. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. There was a successful application for a new social security number. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Henceforth, Lori would be known as Lori Erica Ruff. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. 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. 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. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. In May 1988, McLean obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who had died, along with two of her siblings, in a house fire in Fife, Washington in 1971. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. 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. 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. They Walk Among Us is an award-winning weekly UK true crime podcast covering a broad range of cases from the sinister to the surreal. NY Daily News [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. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Hosted on Acast. All rights reserved. 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. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. She also began sending harassing e-mails to the Ruffs, created a scene at a custody hearing, and stole a set of house keys from them. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. 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. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. He filed for divorce a short time later. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. 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. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. She was eventually identified as a native. ", "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 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. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. 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. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 2021 Wondery LLC. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. When Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff took her own life on Christmas Eve, 2010 in Longview, Texas, she took with her all of the secrets of her true identity. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. Who was she? The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. 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. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. She also received breast implants during this time. (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.) They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. And she did it all pre-InternetShe may have done this on her own, but its possible she sought out one of these identity brokers.. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. So, it was granted without question. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. The only person in attendance was the preacher. 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. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. She enrolled at Dallas County Community College in the fall of 1990 and eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a business administration degree in 1997. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." Real Life is Horror. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Photo Credit: Alchetron. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. 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. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. The house was in total shambles. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Review our. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. 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. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. For several years, nobody suspected anything. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. The new Mrs. Ruff was an unusually private person, particularly around her in-laws, according to Velling, special agent in charge of the Social Security Office of the Inspector General in Seattle, Wash. When people made small talk with her like asking where she went to high school she would say, 'Its none of your business.' Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. Velling said hes determined to uncover Jane Doe's true identity because he suspects she may have used a so-called identity broker to pull off such a complex crime. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. 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. 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? [6], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter; as a result, the Ruffs began encouraging Blake to get out of the marriage. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. [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. The response? In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. Or, Becky Sue Turner? Market data provided by Factset. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. Ruffs apparent identity theft pulled in former Social Security Administration investigator Joe Velling, who hoped that publicity from the Times piece would urge amateur sleuths to provide some leads. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. There were two other pieces of paper. All rights reserved. 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. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi.
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