Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. 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. 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). Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. 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. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Yes! After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. 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. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. 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. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Trophy Wife (2022) - IMDb Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. There was a successful application for a new social security number. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her?You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminologyAn Emash Digital productionLearn more about your ad choices. 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. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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 . Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. She was never too keen to go into further detail. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. Or, Becky Sue Turner? 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 tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. Lori Ruff & The Dark Secret She Hid From Everyone - YouTube Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. NY Daily News [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. 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. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. 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. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. 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. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. Lori Erica Ruff Criminology podcast 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. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. 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. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. 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. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. [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. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. He filed for divorce a short time later. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? Hosted on Acast. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. 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 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. 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. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. 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. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. 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. Lori Erica Ruff - YouTube [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. 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. 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. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. 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. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. All rights reserved. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 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. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. True Crime. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. ", "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. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . [4] She was eventually identified as a native of suburban Philadelphia who left home at age 17, in the fall of 1986,[5] because she did not get along with her mother and stepfather. But it wasn't until Lori ended her life on Christmas Eve that the Ruffs would get answers. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Lori Erica Ruff: The Perplexing Mystery of the Woman - The Lineup In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. 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. McLean also asked them not to come after her. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. 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. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Lori Erica Ruff. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Want more real-life mysteries? According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. 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. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . 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. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. Who was she? Lori Erica Ruff Suicide Is 3 Years Later Still A Mystery In Texas Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. But Blake was in love. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. Lori Ruff | Unidentified Wiki | Fandom 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. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. Photo Credit: Alchetron. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. Sources Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. And when asked about her days in high school, she said she skipped it and went straight to college. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. Find a Grave [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. How had their marriage fallen apart? Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Lori Erica Ruff (Podcast Episode 2021) - Plot Summary - IMDb Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. 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. [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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. ruff in - Translation into Russian - examples English | Reverso Context Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. 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. Yes! She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. The other was for Blake. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. 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. 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. 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 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. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. "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. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. 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. 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. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. 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. [3] The fact that Ruff was able to cover up her identity so well in a time before the Internet has led to speculation that she had visited an "identity broker".[3]. Nothing. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. 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. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? 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. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. (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.) True identity of Lori Ruff revealed six years after she committed 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. Legal Statement. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. Marriage is a sacred act between two people that care deeply for one another. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. 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 obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. 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. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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 On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. 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. The house belonged . Lori Erica Ruff was as evasive as she had always been but did reveal that both of her parents had passed away and that she had no living relatives. 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 . Market data provided by Factset. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. 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. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Lori Erica Ruff and Her Various Identities - Historic Mysteries 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. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. 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.