Sources Prior to marrying Blake, Loriwas known as Lori Erica Kennedy. Or, Becky Sue Turner? Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. Prior to that, she was known as Becky Sue Turner, an identity forged with the birth certificate of a long-dead child. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. 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. Yes! 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. The Ruff family declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by the Seattle Times on Saturday. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. The house was in total shambles. After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Or, maybe she was none of them. 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. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. [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. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. 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. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. The house belonged . To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. Lori Erica Ruff. She was much older than that, he said. True Crime. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. 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. Market data provided by Factset. They tried several times to have a child, but she had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Blake and Lori married in 2004the only witness to their marriage was the priest. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Then, in September 2016, investigators believed they solved the case. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. 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. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. El Caso de Lori Erica Ruff -Documental Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/HypnosMorfeoPaginaoficial/?fref=ts Sigueme en Twitter: https://twitter.com/hypnosmo. Her student loan applications listed three references, one of whom was a former classmate she had briefly dated. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. For several years, nobody suspected anything. [8] Other papers included the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner and a judge's ruling granting a name change to Lori Erica Kennedy. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. I think she was born sometime between 1960 and 1968., Records gathered by Velling provide tantalizing clues. Lori Erica Ruff, a Texan who committed suicide in 2010 and left behind a series of puzzling documents hinting that she wasnt who her family thought she was, has now been identified. 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. At the time, a request of this nature was hardly unusual. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. As far as the police officers could tell, Lori never traveled abroad before 1990, as there is no passport with that name. How had their marriage fallen apart? ", "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. [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. 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. She must now fight to clear her name and figure out who betrayed her husband. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. He noticed the car and called the police. They married and had a daughter together. 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. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. McLean requested the birth certificate in Bakersfield, California, Becky Sue Turner's birthplace. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. The response? Lori didnt take this at all well. But Blake was in love. Ruffs apparent identity theft pulled in former Social Security Administration investigator Joe Velling, who hoped that publicity from the Times piece would urge amateur sleuths to provide some leads. 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. 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. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. The grieving husbandrecognized the box. The two moved to Leonard, about 60 miles northeast of Dallas and roughly 125 miles from Ruffs parents in Longview. 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. 2009-2021 Historic Mysteries. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. I also want to get Early Bird Books newsletter featuring book deals, recommendations, and giveaways. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. It outlined work that Lori had done for him until 1988. [1] He flew to Pennsylvania to meet the potential family. She was very private and didn't open to people about her past. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. 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. As far as the authorities were concerned, once Blake called them in, she was an identity thief now given the name "Jane Doe.". Crimelines walks you through true crime events, pairing captivating tales with clear storytelling. Southern charm is attempted but southern sass is bountiful. In July 1988, she moved to Dallas, where, according to court documents, she legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. "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. Join her as she shows you just how southern fried the justice system can be in the Deep South. 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. However, according to records, Becky Sue Turner asphyxiated in a house fire when she was just 2 years old. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. Related: Jeffrey Alan Lash: His Remarkable Mystery. 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. 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 didnt even allow the publication of the announcement of their nuptials in the local newspaper either. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. 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. 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 . But to a dogged federal investigator, she is "Jane Doe," a Texas mother who killed herself three years ago in her famil. He filed for divorce a short time later. 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. Among the various documents was a certificate indicating that Lori Kennedy had changed her name from Becky Sue Turner. Find a Grave Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. 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). 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. She wanted to live in her little cocoon.. Market data provided by Factset. The investigation into her suicide hit dead end after dead end. 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. Also found in the lock box was a paper with several seemingly random scribblings.[6]. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Be the first to contribute! Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. 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. She was never too keen to go into further detail. [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. NY Daily News Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. 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 Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968 - December 24, 2010), was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. Numerous theories regarding her identity can be found on various internet websites. This page was last modified on 5 May 2016, at 17:33. It wasnt until the Ruffs found a safebox hidden inside their daughter-in-laws bedroom closet that showed the woman wasnt who she had claimed to be. Lori Erica Ruff - identity SOLVED? 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. Authorities inspected both letters, which they described asramblings from a clearly disturbed person.They contained no reference toLoris life as an identity thief, nor a confession of her trueidentity. Blake had enough with her inability to get along with his family. After several miscarriages, the couple finally had a daughter in 2008. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. This was very sophisticated, Velling said. In the days that followed, Blake tried to make sense of how things had gone so wrong. 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. 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.