Watch 48 Hours Saturday 10/9c on CBS and Paramount+ and hear all new episodes every Sunday. 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. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. Legal Statement. The other had dates and the letters D and M on it. The other was for Blake. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Lori Erica Ruff was the alias of an unidentified American woman and identity thief who committed suicide on December 24, 2010 in Longview, Texas. Nothing. Blake Ruff married the woman he had known asLori in2004. The house belonged . 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. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. But all that he managed to discover was that Lori had something of a difficult upbringing. According to the man, whom Velling did not name, Jane Doe had more problems than he could deal with.. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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. [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. 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. The house belonged to his parents and it was his father who discovered her [] The post Lori Erica Ruff 93 Generation Why appeared first on The Generation Why Podcast.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. We don't take ourselves too seriously but we take true crime very seriously. 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. In the days following her death, he began the grim task of sorting . On the West Coast, we generally dont have a discernible accent, said Velling, a Seattle native. 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. 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. Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. Sources [1] She then traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card on June 16 using the girl's birth certificate.[2]. 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. The contents of this safe put into sharp focus everything that Blake thought he knew about Lori Kennedy. Ruff had a first cousin named Cassidy on her list of matches; however, the name was very common and the cousin was not responsive. [7] The couple eloped in January 2004 after Nancy Ruff, Blake's mother, inquired about placing a wedding announcement in the local newspaper. 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. According to the Seattle Times, a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruffs background began after the paper ran a story on her in 2013. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. By the time Blake Ruff's wife died, he realized he didn't know her at all. The writings on the paper found in the lock box included the scribblings "North Hollywood police," "402 months," and "Ben Perkins." 1,529 likes. Whomever she was, the woman Blake knew as Lori Ruff was not who she claimed to be. 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. Pic credit: Family pic. [6], On December 24, 2010, Ruff's body was discovered in her car in the Ruffs' driveway, dead from a self-inflicted gunshot. Or, maybe she was none of them. Any time she got around the family, they would ask her questions and it was uncomfortable for her. Market data provided by Factset. 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. However, the Mclean family now has a granddaughter who offers a glimpse of their beloved Kimberly. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. Authorities believe she initially traveled to the home with the intent of harming the family.[6]. 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. It was either she or his family, and he chose his family, Velling said. As many of you know, "Lori Ruff" is the assumed name of an otherwise anonymous woman who died in 2010. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. 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. She wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Copyright 2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. [1] After two years, Fitzpatrick finally identified Ruff when she discovered a third cousin match who was related to the Cassidys. 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. Lori Erica Ruff (2021 Podcast Episode) Plot Showing all 0 items Jump to: Summaries It looks like we don't have any Plot Summaries for this title yet. She obtained a Texas drivers license in 1989, listing her age as 19. 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. Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. The Bizarre Truth About Lori Ruff, The Woman Without An Identity. Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. 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 led investigators to believe that Ruff was older than she claimed, although the difference turned out to be less than a year. Be the first to contribute! Perhaps Lori was creating parents for the benefit of Blake. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. 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 Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Police also found a curious letter within the safe. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. With each question she asked, Lori deflected, the Seattle Times reported. Investigators then began to search of hertrue identitya process that would take six years to complete. ", "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. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. So, it was granted without question. Lori's husband, Blake Ruff, was devastated. According to the Seattle Times , a crowd-sourced investigation into Ruff's background began after the paper ran . When he returned to his parents, he filed for a divorce. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. Lori didnt take this at all well. How had their marriage fallen apart? Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. The news of Kimberlys death saddened her mother deeply. 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. Want more real-life mysteries? I find her case fascinating, especially in a post-9/11 world where there are so many avenues for identifying individuals. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. 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. 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 Fife, Washington, in 1988, and then changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy. 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 Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. In 2010, he moved back across the state to live with his parents. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. [5], From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core, "Three years after Texas woman's suicide, a question lingers: Who was she? 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. All rights reserved. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. The truth of Ruff's deception only came to light after she committed suicide, and some determined investigators began looking into . All rights reserved. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. And she was aggressive about it, Velling said. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. Henceforth, Lori would be known as Lori Erica Ruff. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. Lori Erica Ruff. IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Blake admitted knowledge of the box. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Lori left behind two suicide notes, one of which was addressed to her husband and the other to her young daughter. [3], Eventually, Ruff did not want her in-laws to have any contact with her daughter. It's a big Universe full of wonders. 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. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. 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. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). Synopsis Before she took her own life with a shotgun, Lori placed a pair of letters inside the car. The suicide notes were quickly determined to be incoherent ramblings that offered no clues to Ruff's identity. The house was in total shambles. After the birth of their daughter, Lori's behavior became increasingly strange. 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. This site uses cookies to improve user experience. If you can never get enough true crime Congratulations, youve found your people. Four years filled with miscarriages and disappointments passed. It is one thing to suspect Lori Erica Ruff of being a simple identity thief, but it is another thing to understand why. So, join us, plug in, sit back and prepare for scares. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. 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. They married and had a daughter together. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. Blake was caught in the middle, and eventually he couldn't take it anymore. At the time of this application, Lori quoted her age as 19. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. 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.