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She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. 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. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. 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. 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. ", "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. 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. 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. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. 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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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." Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. Image: Social Security Administration. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. Find a Grave Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. 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. One was for her daughter. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Yes! 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 Ruff, a Texan who committed suicide in 2010 and left behind a series of puzzling documents hinting that she wasnt who her family thought she was, has now been identified. There were two other pieces of paper. 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. Pic credit: Family pic. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. All rights reserved. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. Sources But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. 1,529 likes. 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. "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. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. It must have been for some horrific reasoneither she was running away from a crime or an abusive family or relationship., She wanted a complete break from her past, said Velling. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. 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). 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. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. 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. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. 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.' [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. Within the next two years, she obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a 2-year-old girl who had died with her two sisters in a house fire in 1971. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. [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. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Legal Statement. 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. 2021 Wondery LLC. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. 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. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The house was in total shambles. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. All rights reserved. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. 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. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. 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. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. In the car were two suicide notes: an 11-page one addressed to "my wonderful husband" and another addressed to her daughter, to be opened on her 18th birthday. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. 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. 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. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. There was a successful application for a new social security number. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. 2010 42- , . Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. 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. 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. McLean also asked them not to come after her. 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. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. 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. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. Yes! Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. Photo Credit: Alchetron. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. It's a big Universe full of wonders. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. Want more real-life mysteries? Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. Nothing. 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. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. 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.. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. NY Daily News The house belonged . 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. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Or, Becky Sue Turner? 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. 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. "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 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. 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. So, it was granted without question. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. 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 . And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? Synopsis Police also found a curious letter within the safe. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? Papers belonging to Ruff, who had been married with a child, surfaced after her suicide indicating she had once been known as Lori Kennedy, and prior to that, as Becky Sue Turner, the name of a young girl who had died in a Washington state fire in 1971. 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 . But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. [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. He filed for divorce a short time later. 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. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. 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. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. ", "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. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. The only person in attendance was the preacher. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. The response? 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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Where Murder Lies is investigating the mysterious case of identity thief Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, aka Kimberly Maria McLean, who, unbeknown to her husband, led a secret life for decades. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. 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. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. 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. It did. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. [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. 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. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. But who she really was is still a mystery. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. 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. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Or, maybe she was none of them. 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. 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 2016, she was identified as. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. How had their marriage fallen apart? When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. A Net Inceptions project. Ordinary people who do unthinkable thingsThe Minds of Madness is a True Crime Podcast that examines the most disturbing criminal minds and the impact violent crimes have on survivors of homicide. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. 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. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents.