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 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. 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. 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." At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. [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. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. If Lori was trying to escape her past, then it could explain her reluctance for publicity. 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. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. 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. 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. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Using a DNA analysis from Ruffs daughter, investigators were able to trace Ruffs identity back to a family in Pennsylvania, whose daughter had disappeared in 1986, when she was 17. She 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. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". 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. 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. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified - Facebook There was a successful application for a new social security number. With little to no clues about who shemight actually be, the woman once known as Lori Erica Ruffwas registered in the federal governments database of missing and unidentified persons as a Jane Doe. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. Although questions about the case remain, Lori Ruff's name has now been removed from the federal government's database for missing and unidentified persons. 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. 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. But Lori tragically died by suicide just before Christmas in 2010. 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.. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. [3], On Christmas Eve 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Hosted on Acast. Shewas an accomplished identity thief. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. 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. 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. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. Papers belonging to Ruff, who had been married with a child, surfaced after her suicide indicating she had once been known as Lori Kennedy, and prior to that, as Becky Sue Turner, the name of a young girl who had died in a Washington state fire in 1971. [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]. [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. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. 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 . 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. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. ", "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. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. The Generation Why Podcast: Lori Erica Ruff on Apple Podcasts 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. Criminology: Lori Erica Ruff on Apple Podcasts This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. 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. 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 the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. 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). Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Lori didnt take this at all well. 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. 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. 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. Lori Erica Ruff - Wikipedia The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. 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. 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. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. 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. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. Who was she? Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. 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: The Perplexing Mystery of the Woman - The Lineup [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. 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. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. 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. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. She became distressed due to her parents divorce. 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. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. She then moved to Idaho and obtained a driver's license using Becky's birth certificate, according to news.com.au. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . 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. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. ", "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. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. 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. 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. 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. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. After four years of attempts, miscarriages, and disappointments, the couple had a daughter. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. Many of these sessions tended to feature increasingly strange behavior on her part. Lori Erica Ruff - YouTube After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. The response? The only person in attendance was the preacher. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. The house was in total shambles. Where is Lori Ruff's Daughter Now? - The Cinemaholic About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Anyone with credible tips on this case is urged to email this reporter at cristina.corbin@foxnews.com. She refused to let other people hold the child and was overly protective, even for a first-time mother. She was eventually identified as a native. Last spring, we brought you 8 Mysterious People Without a Past, a list of individuals who seemed to have had much of their early existence wiped from history. 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 . He noticed the car and called the police. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. 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. But Blake was in love. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her closet. On Christmas Eve in 2010, Lori Erica Ruff sat in her car outside her in-laws' Longview, Texas home, and ended her life with a gunshot to the head. 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.' She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? The only person in attendance at their wedding ceremony, held in a church outside Dallas, was the officiating preacher. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theywalkamongus. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. She created a false identity for the sole purpose of getting lost in America, Velling told FoxNews.com. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. This led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. 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. 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. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. Dismayed by having to move and attend a new school, she told Deanne shed be leaving for good. 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. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. 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. They separated, but on Christmas Eve, 2010, the woman everyone knew as Lori Erica Ruff pulled into the driveway of the Ruff family home and shot herself. In his spare time he enjoys astronomy and Xboxing. All rights reserved. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. Yes! When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. A friend of the family verified that Becky Sue Turner had died in a house fire at the age of 2. 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. Market data provided by Factset. There were two other pieces of paper. It did. 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. See acast.com/privacy for more information. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. The house belonged . "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. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. 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. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. She was sending deranged emails to the Ruffs. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? 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. By changing her name, she created a clean identity a person with no past.. Lori Erica Ruff Wiki & Bio - everipedia.org 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.