But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. 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. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. 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 . At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. or redistributed. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. 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. Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. In 2016, she was identified as. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. His letter contained pages of incoherent rambling. 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. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. 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. Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. NY Daily News And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. 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? Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. 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 didnt take this at all well. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. They then discovered the lock box in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. 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." She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. 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. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? For several years, nobody suspected anything. "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. Or at least they should. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. [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]. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. 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. 2021 Wondery LLC. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. Want more real-life mysteries? Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. 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 his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother. DNA taken from the body might also help crack the case. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. 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 . 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. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. 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. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. Pic credit: Family pic. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. And when asked about her days in high school, she said she skipped it and went straight to college. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. Review our. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. Although plenty of questions about the case still have not been answered, Lori Ruff's name was removed from the federal government's database of missing and unidentified persons. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. Legal Statement. 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. 2021 Emash Digital & Mike Ferguson, Mike Morford. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. 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. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Sometime later, Blake's father left the house to pick up the paper. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. On Monday though, Lori. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. 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. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. 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. [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. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. She was never too keen to go into further detail. 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. 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. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. A Net Inceptions project. The house belonged . 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. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. 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. [6] The Ruffs opened and read the letter, but it contained only "ramblings from a clearly disturbed person" and no details about Lori's past. [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. 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. Yes! Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number a move that effectively erased her past. McLean also asked them not to come after her. 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. There were two other pieces of paper. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. True Crime. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. In September 2011 the Ruff family, with the help of a congressional aide, sought the help of Joe Velling, an investigator for the Social Security Administration (SSA). She was 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. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Marriage is a sacred act between two people that care deeply for one another. 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. 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. There was a successful application for a new social security number. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. 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. Who was she? She was much older than that, he said. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. 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. She was eventually identified as a native. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. 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. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? In May 1988, McLean obtained the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who had died, along with two of her siblings, in a house fire in Fife, Washington in 1971. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. It did. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. 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. 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. Join Jim Clemente (former FBI profiler), Laura Richards (criminal behavioral analyst, former New Scotland Yard) and Lisa Zambetti (Casting director for CBS' Criminal Minds) as they profile behavior from real criminal cases. Real Life is Horror. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. [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. 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. [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. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. 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. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." [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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? 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. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. 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. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. Ruff's true origins remained a mystery until 2016, when her identity was confirmed using a combination of public records and direct-to-consumer autosomal SNP analysis of her husband's and daughter's DNA, leading back to the McLeanCassidy family on Philadelphia's Main Line. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. 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. 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. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. 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. It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. 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. [6], Ruff was "extremely protective" of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her and even taking the baby with her to use the bathroom. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. 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. 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. [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. All rights reserved. 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. 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. Photo Credit: Alchetron. 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. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. Interesting history topics are just a click away. 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. 1,529 likes. 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. Within a few months of Blake moving out, Lori had completely deteriorated. 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. 2010 42- , . Unresolved is an investigative and immersive look at those stories, as host Micheal Whelan tries to determine why these stories - unsolved crimes and other unexplained phenomena - have no ending. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Who was she? 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. 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. 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.. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. 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. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. 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.

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