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. Who was she? And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. 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. Who was she? 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. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." 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. Yes! Lori Erica Ruff: The Perplexing Mystery of the Woman - The Lineup IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. 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. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. Sources They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. 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. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. 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 . ", "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. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. Or, maybe she was none of them. 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. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. 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. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. Trophy Wife (2022) - IMDb [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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. 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. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. 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. The Mystery of Identity Thief Lori Erica Ruff - Mental Floss Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. Hosted on Acast. 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. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. She was much older than that, he said. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. There were two other pieces of paper. All rights reserved. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. "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. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. Within the next two years, she . However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. About: Lori Erica Ruff - dbpedia.org Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. 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. For several years, nobody suspected anything. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. 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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas.After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. The other was for Blake. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. 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. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. (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.) All rights reserved. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little 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. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. NY Daily News Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. 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. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. 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. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. 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. 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. Whilethe file on Lori Erica Ruff may be closed, her bizarre case continues to fascinate, and will forever raise thechillingquestion: Just how well do you know those closest to you? Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. 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. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? 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 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Where is Lori Ruff's Daughter Now? - The Cinemaholic Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. 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. 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. Who Was Lori Ruff: DNA Evidence Sheds Light on Texas Mystery Woman But Blake was in love. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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." Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. 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. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. [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. 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. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. 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. 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. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. 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. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. 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. [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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. 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 didnt take this at all well. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Unresolved is an investigative and immersive look at those stories, as host Micheal Whelan tries to determine why these stories - unsolved crimes and other unexplained phenomena - have no ending. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. 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. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. Lori Erica Ruff. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. 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. 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. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. ", "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. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. [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. Lori Erica Ruff (born Kimberly McLean, October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010) was a woman who took her own life while living in Longview, Texas. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? They married and had a daughter together. "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. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. 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. [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. 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 life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. [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. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. 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. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. She then moved to Idaho and procured a drivers license using the deceased girls birth certificate. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. Review our. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003.
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