I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. 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. 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. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . 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. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. 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. There were two other pieces of paper. 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 didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. 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. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. 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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. 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. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Or at least they should. 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. A Net Inceptions project. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Be the first to contribute! Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. (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.) Yes! After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. Or, maybe she was none of them. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. With the help of investigator Joe Velling, he traced the DNA to a family in Pennsylvania. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. 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. 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. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Lori acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. Market data provided by Factset. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. 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. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 1,529 likes. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. Velling said hes determined to uncover Jane Doe's true identity because he suspects she may have used a so-called identity broker to pull off such a complex crime. The 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. She was eventually identified as a native. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. 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. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. [6] 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 enlisted the services of a so-called identity broker.[6]. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. NY Daily News 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. All rights reserved. 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. 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. 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 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. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. True Crime. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. In 2003 McLean met Jon Blakely "Blake" Ruff, the son of a socially prominent family in East Texas,[8][6] in a Bible study class. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. Related: Lady of the Dunes: Was the Unidentified Cape Cod Murder Victim an Extra in Jaws? Nothing. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. All rights reserved. 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. She was much older than that, he said. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. See acast.com/privacy for more information. 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.. 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. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. The new Mrs. Ruff was an unusually private person, particularly around her in-laws, according to Velling, special agent in charge of the Social Security Office of the Inspector General in Seattle, Wash. When people made small talk with her like asking where she went to high school she would say, 'Its none of your business.' If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". McLean also asked them not to come after her. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. But who she really was is still a mystery. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. 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 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. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. We cover everything from big time serial killers (and those you may never have heard of), to hauntings, possessions, disturbing mysteries, bizarre whodunits and basically anything that tickles our creepy fancy. 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. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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. [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. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. 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. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. The house belonged . [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . The other was for Blake. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. She was never too keen to go into further detail. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. 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. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. The mystery surrounding Jane Does identity begins in May 1988, when the unknown woman requested the Bakersfield, Calif., birth certificate of a 2-year-old girl, Becky Sue Turner, who died in a 1971 house fire in Fife, Wash., Velling said. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. 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. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. In the days following her death, hebegan the grim task of sortingthrough his wifespossessions. 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. 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. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. And when asked about her days in high school, she said she skipped it and went straight to college. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. Lori didnt take this at all well. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. Market data provided by Factset. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Sources Find a Grave [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. [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. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. 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. All rights reserved. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Who was she? It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Marriage is a sacred act between two people that care deeply for one another. [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. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. 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. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. 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. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." It's a big Universe full of wonders. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. It did. 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. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. 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. All rights reserved. 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. Image: Social Security Administration. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? 2010 42- , . At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. [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]. She had ended her life with a self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. 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? The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. On Monday though, Lori. 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 . [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. The tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. Until now, Lori Erica Ruff was known to authorities as Jane Doe a woman of mystery who jumped from state to state, taking on the identities of other people. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. Pic credit: Family pic. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. 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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. 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. 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. Hersuicide cameafter Blake had filed fordivorce and moved back in with his parents. Or, Becky Sue Turner? 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. [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 arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. But nobody in the world knew Lori Erica Ruff. One was for her daughter. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. 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. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. [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. [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. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good.