She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. 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. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. 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.
About: Lori Erica Ruff - dbpedia.org She began to lose weight and attended counseling sessions held at the local church. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case.
The Generation Why Podcast: Lori Erica Ruff on Apple Podcasts 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. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. [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. Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. [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.
Who Was Lori Ruff: DNA Evidence Sheds Light on Texas Mystery Woman The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. "True identity of Lori Ruff revealed six years after she committed suicide", "After 30 Years, Lori Ruff's True Identity Finally Revealed", "5 Creepy-As-Hell Stories Of Real People With No Identity", "She stole another's identity, and took her secret to the grave. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. 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. It did. During all of this, Blake continued in his efforts to pry more details from the mother of his baby. 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.
True identity of Lori Ruff revealed six years after she committed Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. 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. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. 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. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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 She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. 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. She was never too keen to go into further detail. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. 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. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands.
After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. All rights reserved. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Be the first to contribute! Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. 2021 Wondery LLC. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. [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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete.
Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified - Facebook 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. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing.
Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? : r/UnresolvedMysteries - reddit 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. 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. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously.
Lori Ruff | Unidentified Wiki | Fandom 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. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. All rights reserved. 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. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The only person in attendance was the preacher. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. 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. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. 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. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. 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. ", "Texas woman's true identity baffles ex-husband, authorities years after her suicide", "She stole another's identity, and took her secret to the grave. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Market data provided by Factset. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. Lori Erica Ruff. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. 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. 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 . It had the instructions to open on her 18th birthday. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6].
I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Lori Erica Ruff. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. 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." A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be undernourished and that Lori would often ramble incoherently to herself while pacing back and forth outside. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. Synopsis 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . 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. He noticed the car and called the police. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened.
But it wasn't until Lori ended her life on Christmas Eve that the Ruffs would get answers. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. 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 . Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. Follow along with 48 Hours every week as award-winning CBS News correspondents investigate the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. But, it didn't happen easily and it took the hard work of a number of people and a little Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. [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. 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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. Hosted on Acast. He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Little Beckywas just two years old when she diedin a house fire outside of Seattle, Washington in 1971. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. 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. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. She was overly protective, and she refused to let other people hold their daughter. 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. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 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 2016, she was identified as. 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 Erica Ruff and Her Various Identities - Historic Mysteries Lori Erica Ruff - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. True Crime. Sources
El Sorprendente Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental - YouTube 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. ", "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.