[3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. ", "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. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. 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.. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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). [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]. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. The house was in total shambles. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Shewas an accomplished identity thief. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. There were two other pieces of paper. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. 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. 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. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. 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. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's 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. All rights reserved. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. 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 would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. She was very private and didn't open to people about 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. So, it was granted without question. We cover everything from big time serial killers (and those you may never have heard of), to hauntings, possessions, disturbing mysteries, bizarre whodunits and basically anything that tickles our creepy fancy. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. Find a Grave 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. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. 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. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. 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. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. 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 was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. Jane Doe had a simple narrative and stuck to it: She was the only child of a failed stockbroker and his wife, who both died. 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. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. 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. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. In 2016, she was identified as. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. 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. He noticed the car and called the police. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. All rights reserved. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. 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. She was never too keen to go into further detail. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. 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. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. 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. She was much older than that, he said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. For example, Lori would often ramble to the minister on a variety of topics; mainly her perceived flaws, problems, and the failure of her marriage. 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. [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. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. 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. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. 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. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. Becky was born in one state and died in another, making it much less likely that a fraudulent use of her identity would be noticed. 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. 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? Within the next two years, she . Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. 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. There was a successful application for a new social security number. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. Legal Statement. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Legal Statement. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. 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. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. 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 . 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. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. 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. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? Lori Erica Ruff was as evasive as she had always been but did reveal that both of her parents had passed away and that she had no living relatives. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. For several years, nobody suspected anything. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. 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. 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. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. 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. 2021 Wondery LLC. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. 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. The tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. It's clear that even at this time, Lori knew what she was doingBecky had been born in one state and died in another, making it far less likely that the fraudulent use of her identity would be discovered. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. ", "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. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. "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. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. 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. Sources She had stolen the identity of deceased Becky Sue Turner in May 1988 before legally changing her name to "Lori Erica Kennedy ." Following her marriage in 2001, she assumed the surname "Ruff." Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her 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.) That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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. 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. Or at least they should. 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 very private and didn't open to people about her past. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. 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. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Nothing. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. Image: Social Security Administration. 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. Interesting history topics are just a click away. [4] She was eventually identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 17, in the fall of 1986,[5] because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. 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. Market data provided by Factset. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. 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. 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. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. 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.

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