This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Henceforth, Lori would be known as Lori Erica Ruff. 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 response? [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. 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. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. Yes! Hair pulled from the woman's head had skin on it that helped forensic investigators learn she had one of the genes associated with coronary artery disease. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. There was a successful application for a new social security number. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. 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. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. True Crime. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. He filed for divorce a short time later. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Who was she? They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. 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. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. or redistributed. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". 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. 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. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. [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. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. 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. 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. 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. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. [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. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. 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 . In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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. Using a DNA analysis from Ruffs daughter, investigators were able to trace Ruffs identity back to a family in Pennsylvania, whose daughter had disappeared in 1986, when she was 17. She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. The house was in total shambles. 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. See acast.com/privacy for more information. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. 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. The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. 2010 42- , . She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. [7] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in vitro fertilisation in 2008. 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. 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. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. Hosted on Acast. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. Want more real-life mysteries? 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 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. He noticed the car and called the police. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. It's a big Universe full of wonders. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? Police also found a curious letter within the safe. Years later, in the life she created with Ruff, tensions between the Verizon account manager and the wife he never really knew eventually reached a breaking point. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. 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. 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. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Review our. 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. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. 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. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. 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. 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. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. But who she really was is still a mystery. ", "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. 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." Lori didnt take this at all well. 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. 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. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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.. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. [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. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. 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. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. Legal Statement. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. Or, maybe she was none of them. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. 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. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. (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.) Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. 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 family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. 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. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Yes! Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Image: Social Security Administration. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. 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. 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. Real Life is Horror. 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. 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. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. All rights reserved. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. On Monday though, Lori. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." One was for her daughter. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. The other was for Blake. Or at least they should. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. Synopsis 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. She was never too keen to go into further detail. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. 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. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. 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.
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