lori erica ruff documentary lori erica ruff documentary

Some people can explain all of this with nothing more sinister than the Witness Protection Program. 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. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. She was sending unhinged, threatening emails to the Ruffs; she and her daughter were losing weight; she even possibly tried to break into the Ruffs' home. 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. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. [6], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. 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. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. [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. After her death, her husband and his family found the evidence of her falsified identity in a lock box in her 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. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. So, it was granted without question. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. 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. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. Yes! 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 had brown hair and hazel eyes. When contacted, however, Perkins stated that he had never heard of Becky Sue Turner or Lori Kennedy. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. But it wasn't until Lori ended her life on Christmas Eve that the Ruffs would get answers. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. 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. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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. 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. Join Mike and Morf as they discuss the mysterious Lori Erica Ruff. 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. 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. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. Just click the "Edit page" button at the bottom of the page or learn more in the Plot Summary submission guide. 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 was a secretive person. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American 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. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. ", "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. [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]. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy and moved to the Dallas area, where she met Blake Ruff. NY Daily News This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. 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. 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. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. 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. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. The Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. Velling agreed to help identify her as a case of identify theft. Pic credit: Family pic. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. Included among theitems was a sealed lockbox buried deep in Loriscloset. The Varangians: Viking Conquerors turned Byzantium Honor Guard, The Secret Necropolis of Ancient Varna and the First Goldsmiths. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. 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 was very private and didn't open to people about her past. When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. In 1986, Kimberly McLean ran away from her home at the age of 18. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. 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. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. [1], Fitzpatrick informed Joe Velling, who had in the meantime retired from the SSA. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . 2021 Wondery LLC. 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. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. When a woman known as Lori Erica Ruff died in Texas three years ago, she left behind a mystery that has investigators baffled. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. In 2013, a nuclear-physicist-turned-forensic genealogist Collen Fitzpatrick worked on Ruffs case and new details emerged about her past. Knowing the identity of the third cousin led her to Ruff's identity. 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." This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. Within the next two years, she . See acast.com/privacy for more information. "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. 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. Other commentators noted that Ruff briefly attended UT Arlington and may have become familiar with the film prior to changing her identity. Real Life is Horror. The house was in total shambles. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. The woman received breast implants in 1991 and claimed to have suffered from bulimia in 1990. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. And she had no accent, leading Velling to believe she originally came from the Pacific Northwest or West Coast. 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. But who she really was is still a mystery. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. The other was for Blake. 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 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. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. [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. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. 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. When given the chance for an extravagant and lavish wedding day to remember, Lori declined the offer. 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. Or, Becky Sue Turner? Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. How had their marriage fallen apart? She became distressed due to her parents divorce. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. Legal Statement. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. He found a birth certificate for one person that wasn't her. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . He revealed that Lori considered it to be a personal item that must never be opened. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Why had Lori begun behaving so erratically? Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. Henceforth, Lori would be known as Lori Erica Ruff. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. 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. 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. It's a big Universe full of wonders. 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 . Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. Her Idaho identification card listed her as 5 feet, 6 inches tall and her Dallas drivers license had her at 5 feet, 10 inches, but she was really somewhere in-between, Velling said. The tension between the Ruffs continued to grow as the new grandparents were rebuffed from visits. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. 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. 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. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. 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. 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. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . 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. 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. 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. [3], The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. She arrived at this identity by way of a girl named Becky Sue Turner. All rights reserved. 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? Lori kept to herself, rarely speaking Finally, in 2008, the pair had a daughter, conceived with in vitro fertilization. Image: Social Security Administration. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. or redistributed. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. 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. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. 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. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. [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. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. 2010 42- , . 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. Eager to meet her, the family invited her to lunch. 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. 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. Market data provided by Factset. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. Lori refused to allow anyone else to babysit her child. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. Related: The Strange Case of the Isdal Woman. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? Lori didnt take this at all well. She and her young daughter had visibly lost weight. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. Or, maybe she was none of them. There were no dates and the letter itself was a little vague. On Monday though, Lori. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. 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. 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. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. Sources (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.) 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. She also took a birth date of July 18, 1969. 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. 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. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. The pair set up a home together and tried to start a family. [8] She would also obsessively track the Ruffs' family history and try to find out their family recipes, but she still refused to talk about her own past. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. [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]. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. Additionally, she displayed many asocial behaviors, such as leaving social gatherings to take naps. Con Erica Peeples, Tiffany Black, Sean Patrick Thomas, Chris Sakyi. While the hotel was genuine and a favored haunt of numerous celebrities, there was no trace of the author. They then discovered the lockbox in a closet, pried it open with a screwdriver, and discovered the documentation of Ruff's past. Host Charlie brings in appropriate historic and cultural context to look beyond what happened and consider why it happened. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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 . Shortly after marrying Ruff, Jane Doe tried repeatedly to conceive a child of her own with much difficulty, according to Velling. McLean also asked them not to come after her. A man who knew Ruff during this time has stated that she worked as a stripper in the early 1990s. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. After she died, her ex-husband's family discovered a lockbox in a closet in her home. Find a Grave Lori Erica Kennedy / Lori Ruff - Identified. Lori would also spend time fidgeting and stare at the palms and back of her hands. 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 acquired Turner's birth certificate in 1988, a time when you could just send a letter requesting a birth certificate with little resistance. Loris husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. But this could have simply been a number picked for convenience purposes only. [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. He describes her as being incredibly secretive, particularly regarding her past. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. Les currently resides in London and is a freelance writer with a long standing passion for the unexplained and paranormal. Nancy said it was like that all afternoon she asked questions, and Lori provided evasive answers. Legal Statement. After several months living as Becky Sue Turner, she legally changed her name to Lori Kennedy. The woman told doctors in 2005 that she was 35 a claim Velling doubts. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said.