She became distressed due to her parents divorce. [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. He noticed the car and called the police. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. [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. 2010 42- , . It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. The only person in attendance was the preacher. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. 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. She was eventually identified as a native. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. [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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. 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. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. The tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. 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 . He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. 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. 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. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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. 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. Henceforth, Lori would be known as Lori Erica Ruff. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. [6] 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 enlisted the services of a so-called identity broker.[6]. So, it was granted without question. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. 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. 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. All rights reserved. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. (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.) Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? 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. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. The house was in total shambles. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. In 2010, a woman in Texas named Lori Ruff parked her Tahoe in the driveway of the house where her estranged husband Blake had been living since he had walked out on her after their relationship had soured. [3] 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]. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. 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 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. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. 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 left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. Yes! Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. 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. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. 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. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Lori didnt take this at all well. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. It did. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. [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. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. 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. 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. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. 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.. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. The nature of these scribblings led some followers of the case to believe that Ruff was trying to avoid prison time, due to the references to police, a possible jail-term length, and the name of Ben Perkins, a Los Angeles attorney. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. Colleen Fitzpatrick, a former nuclear physicist who created[citation needed] the field of forensic genealogy, learned of Lori Ruff in 2013 and began work on the case. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. Who was she? It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. 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. [2] The writings on the paper found in the lockbox included the scribblings "North Hollywood police", "402 months", and "Ben Perkins", who turned out to be an attorney. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. 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. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. [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. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. For several years, nobody suspected anything. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. Ruff's true origins remained a mystery until 2016, when her identity was confirmed using a combination of public records and direct-to-consumer autosomal SNP analysis of her husband's and daughter's DNA, leading back to the McLeanCassidy family on Philadelphia's Main Line. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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. 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. Interesting history topics are just a click away. 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. She was never too keen to go into further detail. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? Blake did learn that Lori was born somewhere in Arizona. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. In May 1988, McLean obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who had died, along with two of her siblings, in a house fire in Fife, Washington in 1971. 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. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. On Monday though, Lori. 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. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." "My God, thats Kimberly! The family member confirmed Ruff was actually Kimberly McLean, daughter of Deanne Cassidy and James McLean, who had run away from home in Pennsylvania at the age of 18. The 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. 2021 Wondery LLC. See acast.com/privacy for more information. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. 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. 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." 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. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. Nothing. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. 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. Or, maybe she was none of them. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. [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. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little bit of luck to learn the truth.Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. 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. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. 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. She also received breast implants during this time. 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. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. 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. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. 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. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. ", "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. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. 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. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. All rights reserved. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. The house belonged . 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. And when he asked her to marry him in 2004, she said yes, but insisted on no announcement in the newspaper, and wanted a wedding where only the minister was present. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. 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. One was for her daughter. NY Daily News They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. Years later, in the life she created with Ruff, tensions between the Verizon account manager and the wife he never really knew eventually reached a breaking point. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past.

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