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It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Find a Grave According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . [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. How had their marriage fallen apart? As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. In addition, there were no matches for the woman in any existing fingerprint and facial recognition databases. [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. She was much older than that, he said. In life, Lori hadwarnedhimto stay away from it. Velling traveled to the city and approached a member of the Cassidy family, who saw Loris drivers license photo. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? 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. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Pic credit: Family pic. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. Synopsis Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. 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. Real Life is Horror. 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. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. For the next couple of years, Blake worked on all aspects of the marriage. Investigators wondered if she had been a KGB agent, or if she had been in the military and gone AWOL. Want more real-life mysteries? Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. Blake's mom, Nancy Ruff, described facing a stone wall. But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. 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? Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? 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. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. However, Perkins has no memory of the woman, and there were no matches for the woman in fingerprint and facial recognition databases. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. 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. 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. Interesting history topics are just a click away. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. And when he asked her to marry him in 2004, she said yes, but insisted on no announcement in the newspaper, and wanted a wedding where only the minister was present. There was a successful application for a new social security number. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. Or, maybe she was none of them. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. A Net Inceptions project. 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. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. Join us for a good mix of lesser known cases as well as our take on what we call the "Big Timers". Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified - Facebook When Lori Erica Kennedy took her own life, she left behind evidence that she'd stolen another's identity. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. NY Daily News McLean also asked them not to come after her. 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. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. When Blake met Lori, she went by the name of "Lori Erica Kennedy." 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 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." When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. She also received breast implants during this time. Strange life of identity thief Lori Ruff, aka Kimberly McLean This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, 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. Such things have happened in other cases, and are often traumatic events. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. [2], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. [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]. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Trophy Wife (2022) - IMDb Lori Erica Ruff Suicide Is 3 Years Later Still A Mystery In Texas It's a big Universe full of wonders. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. 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. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. It was signed by a man called Roger Steinbeck. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. 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. 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. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. 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. All rights reserved. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. In 2010, a woman in Texas named Lori Ruff parked her Tahoe in the driveway of the house where her estranged husband Blake had been living since he had walked out on her after their relationship had soured. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. 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. 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. A week later, she obtained a Social Security number, removing traces of her true identity. Ruff described her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. Also found in the lockbox was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. 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. Investigation Discovery's ' Where Murder Lies: The Girl in the Lockbox' chronicles the story behind Lori Ruff's past. 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. His wifewas not who she claimed to be. Lori Erica Ruff - Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core 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. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. [6] The article was subsequently republished in numerous newspapers around the world. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. She was eventually identified as a native. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be.