She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. 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. In May of 2016, several commentators on the internet noticed similarities to Ruff's story and to the plot of a 1987 crime drama called Positive I.D., which was directed by a professor of film at UT Arlington. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. 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. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six ye Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes [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 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.' In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. Or at least they should. 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. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. 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. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. He noticed the car and called the police. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. All rights reserved. There were two other pieces of paper. Who was she? But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. Legal Statement. Photo Credit: Alchetron. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . 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. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. "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. 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. 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. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy and moved to the Dallas area, where she met Blake Ruff. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. 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. [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. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. [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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. [1][10] Fitzpatrick had Ruff's husband and daughter tested by a direct-to-consumer testing company, through which she was able to obtain Ruff's DNA results using genetic genealogy phasing techniques, which essentially subtracted Blake Ruff's DNA from Lori's. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Real Life is Horror. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. 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. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. 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 . So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. On Monday though, Lori. 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. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. 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. 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. 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. 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. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. Legal Statement. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. Blake did learn that Lori was born somewhere in Arizona. 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. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Pic credit: Family pic. Yes! 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). They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. Hosted on Acast. How had their marriage fallen apart? There was a successful application for a new social security number. 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. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. or redistributed. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. As many of you know, "Lori Ruff" is the assumed name of an otherwise anonymous woman who died in 2010. 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. "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. [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. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. 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. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. 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. The house belonged . [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. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. 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. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. 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." [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. 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. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. They married and had a daughter together. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. All rights reserved. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. 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. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. 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. 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. Nothing. She then moved to Idaho and procured a drivers license using the deceased girls birth certificate. 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? However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. 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 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. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. 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. 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. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. 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. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. 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. ", "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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. [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. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be undernourished and that Lori would often ramble incoherently to herself while pacing back and forth outside. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically?