or redistributed. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. It wasnt until the Ruffs found a safebox hidden inside their daughter-in-laws bedroom closet that showed the woman wasnt who she had claimed to be. 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. The house was in total shambles. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. "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. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. 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 . [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. 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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity Lori Erica Ruff Criminology podcast [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. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. 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. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. 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. 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. 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. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. True Crime. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. [6], Ruff was "extremely protective" of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her and even taking the baby with her to use the bathroom. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. "Criminology" Lori Erica Ruff (Podcast Episode 2021) - IMDb 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. 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. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? Lori Erica Ruff: The Perplexing Mystery of the Woman - The Lineup Although plenty of questions about the case still have not been answered, Lori Ruff's name was removed from the federal government's database of missing and unidentified persons. 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. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. 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. Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was 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 life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [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. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. All rights reserved. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. 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. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. 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. Lori Erica Ruff - Wikipedia She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Legal Statement. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. 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. The response? The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. 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. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. He filed for divorce a short time later. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? 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. Lori Erica Ruff - YouTube The following people have been ruled out as possible identities for Ruff:[5], Ruff was a white female, who was approximately 41 to 50 years old when she committed suicide. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. [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. In 2016, she was identified as. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Loris behavior was highly erratic in the timebetween theseparationand her death; she sent threatening emails to Blake and his family, and might have even attempted a break-in at Blakes parents home. 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. All rights reserved. Criminology: Lori Erica Ruff on Apple Podcasts This was very sophisticated, Velling said. Market data provided by Factset. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes It's a big Universe full of wonders. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. 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 was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. It did. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. 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." 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.' Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. 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. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Legal Statement. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. How had their marriage fallen apart? Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Lori Erica Ruff. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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 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. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Pic credit: Family pic. 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. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 1,529 likes. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. 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. [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. 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. El Sorprendente Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental - YouTube Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. 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. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. 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. ", "Mystery of the woman with two names: Investigator tries to discover true identity of mother who committed suicide three years ago after husband finds evidence of a double life hidden in a lock box", List of unidentified decedents in the United States, List of unidentified decedents in California, List of unidentified murder victims in the United States, List of unidentified murder victims in California, List of unidentified murder victims in Texas, List of unidentified murder victims in New York, List of unidentified murder victims in Florida, List of unidentified murder victims in Michigan, List of unidentified murder victims in Pennsylvania, National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Lori_Erica_Ruff&oldid=718811075, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, About Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core. 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. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. Or, maybe she was none of them. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. 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. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. Lori didnt take this at all well. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". The only person in attendance was the preacher. When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. There were two other pieces of paper. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. [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. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. 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. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. 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. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. Real Life is Horror. A Net Inceptions project. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. 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. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. She also began sending harassing emails to the Ruffs, created a scene at a custody exchange, and stole a set of house keys from them. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. 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. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Strange Life and Death of Lori Erica Ruff Lori Erica Ruff Wiki & Bio - everipedia.org 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. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. 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. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. 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. 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. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. 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. McLean also asked them not to come after her. ", "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. 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. Lori Erica Ruff Suicide Is 3 Years Later Still A Mystery In Texas He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. 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. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. Lori Erica Ruff - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? 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. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. 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. 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. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. 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.

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