In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. There were two other pieces of paper. 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. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. 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. NY Daily News After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy and moved to the Dallas area, where she met Blake Ruff. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. 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. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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 tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. or redistributed. She was much older than that, he said. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. 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 . 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. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. He filed for divorce a short time later. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. 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. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. 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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. 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? 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. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. Yes! After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? In 2016, she was identified as. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. 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." [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Legal Statement. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. All rights reserved. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. 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. Want more real-life mysteries? 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. Blake did learn that Lori was born somewhere in Arizona. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. Interesting history topics are just a click away. 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. 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. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? The tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. True Crime. 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. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. 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 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. Who was she? Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. 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. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. 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. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. Lori Erica Ruff. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six ye Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. So, it was granted without question. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. 2021 Wondery LLC. 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 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. There was a successful application for a new social security number. They separated, but on Christmas Eve, 2010, the woman everyone knew as Lori Erica Ruff pulled into the driveway of the Ruff family home and shot herself. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. Be the first to contribute! 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. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Sources She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. 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. 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 . Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. 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. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. 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 went by many names. "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. All rights reserved. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. The other was for Blake. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. 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 July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. Image: Social Security Administration. 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. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. 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. 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. Lori Ruff & The Dark Secret She Hid From Everyone 864,142 views Feb 5, 2019 13K Dislike Share Save Weird History 3.81M subscribers Few stories have fascinated the Internet quite like the one of. 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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. [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. 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. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. 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.. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number a move that effectively erased her past. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. Who was she? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. Lori didnt take this at all well. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. Market data provided by Factset. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 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. How had their marriage fallen apart? She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Or at least they should. Although questions about the case remain, Lori Ruff's name has now been removed from the federal government's database for missing and unidentified persons. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. ", "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. Or, maybe she was none of them. 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. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. 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. Nothing. 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. ", "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. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. 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. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . He noticed the car and called the police. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. Pic credit: Family pic. 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. In the box, which she told her husband never to touch, were all the documents exposing her elaborate ruse the paperwork showing the name change and the application for a Social Security number, among other receipts. 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). She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. 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. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. 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. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). 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. 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. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother.