[1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. [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. 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Legal Statement. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. All rights reserved. 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. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. 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. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. Image: Social Security Administration. How had their marriage fallen apart? [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. She was much older than that, he said. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. 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 also received breast implants during this time. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. All rights reserved. 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. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Hosted on Acast. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Or, maybe she was none of them. Or at least they should. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. or redistributed. 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 two-year-old girl who had died with her two sisters in a house fire in 1971. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. 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. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. All rights reserved. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. 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. 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. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. 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. 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. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. [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. Legal Statement. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. 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. 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. In 2016, she was identified as. She was very private and didn't open to people about her 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.Join Mike and . [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. 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. 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. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. The other was for Blake. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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 Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. 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. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. Pic credit: Family pic. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number a move that effectively erased her past. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. 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.' With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. 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. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. Photo Credit: Alchetron. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. 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. The only person in attendance was the preacher. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. [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. 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. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire 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. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. 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. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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. Yes! [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. 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. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. Who was she? On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. 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. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. Lori Erica Ruff. 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. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. [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]. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. 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. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. The house belonged . 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 addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. 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. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. 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. So, it was granted without question. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. McLean assumed a series of aliases before marrying Blake Ruff in 2004 and settling downleaving no trace of Kimberly McLean, at least until Fitzpatrick began researching her family tree. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. 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. He noticed the car and called the police. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. 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. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. 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. 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. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. But Blake was in love. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. 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. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. True Crime. NY Daily News Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. On Monday though, Lori. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. 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. 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. [9][6], After Lori's funeral, some of the Ruffs drove to Leonard to see if they could find out more about her in her house.
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