Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. [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]. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Lori didnt take this at all well. 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. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Who was she? Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. 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. 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. [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. [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. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. or redistributed. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. 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 Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. She wasn't Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Lori acquired Becky Turners birth certificate in 1988. 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.. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. 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. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. 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. Hosted on Acast. 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. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. 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. She didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. 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. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. She was never too keen to go into further detail. 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. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. He noticed the car and called the police. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. 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. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. Or, Becky Sue Turner? Blake did learn that Lori was born somewhere in Arizona. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. 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. 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. They married and had a daughter together. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. Based on her own research, and a DNA sample the Ruff family submitted that indicated Lori had a first cousin named Michael Cassidy, Fitzpatrick suggested Velling contact the Cassidy family in Philadelphia. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Market data provided by Factset. All rights reserved. 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. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. 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. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Find a Grave "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. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. Want more real-life mysteries? Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. 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 who she really was is still a mystery. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! On Monday though, Lori. 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 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 . Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. However, several weeks after getting the new identification, Becky legally changed her identity to Lori Erica Kennedy in Dallas. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 December 24, 2010), was an American identity thief[3] whose true identity remained unknown for nearly six years after her death. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . Image: Social Security Administration. Within the next two years, she . Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. 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. Pic credit: Family pic. The other was for Blake. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas.After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. And, with the child, Lori's behavior became even more erratic. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. It must have been for some horrific reasoneither she was running away from a crime or an abusive family or relationship., She wanted a complete break from her past, said Velling. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. Or, maybe she was none of them. Be the first to contribute! 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. 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. Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. 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. 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. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. [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. 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. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. 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. She obtained this identity via a girl named Becky Sue Turner, who died in 1971 in a house fire near Seattle, Washington. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. 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. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. NY Daily News Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. ", "Texas woman's true identity baffles ex-husband, authorities years after her suicide", "Live chat with investigator, reporter about Jane Doe case", "Mystery woman: After 30 years and a suicide, Lori Ruff's real identity emerges", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lori_Erica_Ruff&oldid=1125479355, Articles with minor POV problems from October 2022, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from October 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 December 2022, at 06:14. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. 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. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. [3], Ruff was incredibly overprotective of her daughter, often refusing to let anyone else hold her, which angered her husband's family. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. Accept Read More, Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. 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. 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. [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]. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. 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. 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. 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. 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. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. It's a big Universe full of wonders. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. The nature of these scribblings led some followers of the case 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 Ben Perkins, a Los Angeles attorney. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? 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. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. It is generally believed that a new identity was already being considered either for herself or others. Early on Christmas Eve, Lori drove over to the Ruff house. The Bat Bombs of WWII: Presidentially Approved, Totally Anna Anderson: Imposter of Duchess Anastasia, End of the World Predictions that Never Happened. 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. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. 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. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. 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. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. 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. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. She enrolled at Dallas County Community College in the fall of 1990 and eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a business administration degree in 1997. (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.) She would regularly be seen with her in some of her favorite tea shops. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). 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. 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. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number.
lori erica ruff documentary
April 23, 2023
lori erica ruff documentary
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