One was for her daughter. 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. Lori Ruff & The Dark Secret She Hid From Everyone - YouTube After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Who Was Lori Ruff: DNA Evidence Sheds Light on Texas Mystery Woman Want more real-life mysteries? 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. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. The Mystery of Identity Thief Lori Erica Ruff - Mental Floss She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. 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. 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. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. (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.) Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. 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. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. Legal Statement. [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. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. [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. 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. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. 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. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. 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. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. The house was in total shambles. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Synopsis Real Life is Horror. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. "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. 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). A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. The response? Lori Erica Ruff - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core 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. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . 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. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". 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. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. It's a big Universe full of wonders. Lori Erica Ruff Suicide Is 3 Years Later Still A Mystery In Texas Who was she? The woman used the birth certificate to obtain a valid Idaho identification card under the name Becky Sue Turner, issued on June 16, 1988, and bearing the photo of Jane Doe. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. 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. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. Lori Erica Ruff (born Kimberly McLean, October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010) was a woman who took her own life while living in Longview, Texas. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. 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. Photo Credit: Alchetron. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. 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. All rights reserved. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. How had their marriage fallen apart? But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. 2021 Wondery LLC. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Market data provided by Factset. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. 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. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. In 2003 McLean met Jon Blakely "Blake" Ruff, the son of a socially prominent family in East Texas,[8][6] in a Bible study class. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. All rights reserved. [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. 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 . Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. Lori Erica Ruff. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. ", "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. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 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. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. 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. 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. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. Authorities inspected both letters, which they described asramblings from a clearly disturbed person.They contained no reference toLoris life as an identity thief, nor a confession of her trueidentity. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. She was never too keen to go into further detail. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. Lori Erica Ruff - YouTube Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. 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 . She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit 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. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. Yes! Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Review our. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. 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. [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. El Sorprendente Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental - YouTube 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. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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 July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. There was a successful application for a new social security number. 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 had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. 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.. As many of you know, "Lori Ruff" is the assumed name of an otherwise anonymous woman who died in 2010. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. 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. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Who was she? 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. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. 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. 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. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. Be the first to contribute! True Crime. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. All rights reserved. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. Or, maybe she was none of them. 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. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. Interesting history topics are just a click away. 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. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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 . If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. He noticed the car and called the police. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. 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. "Criminology" Lori Erica Ruff (Podcast Episode 2021) - IMDb Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. 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. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. [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 led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. 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 . 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.