lori erica ruff documentary

Lori didnt take this at all well. 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. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Who was she? Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? 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. Lori Erica Ruff. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. 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. 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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. ", "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. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. 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. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. She was never too keen to go into further detail. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). There were two other pieces of paper. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? 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. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. 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. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. 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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. 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. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. Or, Becky Sue Turner? ", "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. 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. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. 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. 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. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. The only person in attendance was the preacher. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. 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. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. And when asked about her days in high school, she said she skipped it and went straight to college. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. A 2013 Seattle Times feature article about the case was published in news outlets around the world and created enormous interest in the online "websleuth" community. [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. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. 1,529 likes. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. There was a successful application for a new social security number. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. "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. 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. Market data provided by Factset. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. 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. She was eventually identified as a native. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. 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. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. Be the first to contribute! She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. 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. 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. 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 . 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. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. 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, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. 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. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! 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? It did. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. 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. Photo Credit: Alchetron. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. 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 . Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. Blake did learn that Lori was born somewhere in Arizona. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. 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. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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. 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. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. So, it was granted without question. 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. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. 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 [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. 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. She was much older than that, he said. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. [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]. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. True Crime. 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 . 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. [8] She would also obsessively track the Ruffs' family history and try to find out their family recipes, but she still refused to talk about her own past. All rights reserved. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. 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. [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. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. 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. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. 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.. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. 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. 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. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." 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. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. 2021 Wondery LLC. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. But it wasn't until Lori ended her life on Christmas Eve that the Ruffs would get answers. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010), was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. 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. It's a big Universe full of wonders. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? As many of you know, "Lori Ruff" is the assumed name of an otherwise anonymous woman who died in 2010. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. At some point in the past, Lori had been a dancer at an exclusive gentlemans club, and a post-mortem examination revealed that Lori, not Becky, had received breast implants. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. 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. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. 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. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. 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. 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. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. [1][10] Fitzpatrick had Ruff's husband and daughter tested by a direct-to-consumer testing company, through which she was able to obtain Ruff's DNA results using genetic genealogy phasing techniques, which essentially subtracted Blake Ruff's DNA from Lori's. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. 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. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites.