[6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. 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. 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.. All rights reserved. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. Lori Erica Ruff Wiki & Bio - everipedia.org She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. By the time she married Jon Blakely Blake Ruff, of Longview, Texas, in January 2004, her phony identification was as solid as her real past was distant. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. 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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. 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. Strange life of identity thief Lori Ruff, aka Kimberly McLean Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. She was much older than that, he said. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. 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. 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. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. Lori Ruff & The Dark Secret She Hid From Everyone - YouTube Or, maybe she was none of them. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. True Crime. It's a big Universe full of wonders. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. 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). And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Interesting history topics are just a click away. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. 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. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. 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. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. Market data provided by Factset. 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. [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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. 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. [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 Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Pic credit: Family pic. 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. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. 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 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. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). 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. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. 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. 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. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. 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. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. 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. 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. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. After some failed marriage therapy meetings, Blake Ruff moved back to his parents' house in Longview and filed for divorce, leaving Lori with their daughter in Leonard. Yes! In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. Find a Grave 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. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her?You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminologyAn Emash Digital productionLearn more about your ad choices. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. 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 wanted to live in her little cocoon.. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. Yes! But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. On Monday though, Lori. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. "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. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. Marriage is a sacred act between two people that care deeply for one another. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. (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.) Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. The response? 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 . After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. She was never too keen to go into further detail. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. 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.

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