After marrying, the couple moved away from the senior Ruffs, who lived in eastern Texas, settling in Leonard, Texas, in the southwestern region. 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 . Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. His recollection was that she was a dancer at a Dallas-area nightclub at the time [she was attending school], Velling said. By continuing to browse, you accept the use of cookies and other technologies. [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. One was for her daughter. DNA taken from the body might also help crack the case. Due to her off-putting[opinion][clarification needed], secretive[citation needed] behavior, she clashed with her husband's family, and her marriage eventually collapsed. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. A 2013 Seattle Times feature article about the case was published in news outlets around the world and created enormous interest in the online "websleuth" community. 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. Her mothers remarriage didnt help either and she told her family she was going away. Lori's behavior caused immense tensions between Lori and the Ruffs, even keeping the new grandparents from visiting their granddaughter. Hosted on Acast. In 2010, he moved back in with his parents and filed for divorce. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. Lori Erica Ruff went by many names. 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 American identity thief[3] whose true identity remained unknown for nearly six years after her death. 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. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Blake's parents were suspicious of Lori right from the beginning. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. 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. Before 1988, Lori Erica Kennedy simply did not exist. The tall and slender brunette met Ruff at a bible study group and introduced herself as Lori Kennedy. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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. One of these had notes written and a collection of phone numbers and names. In 1989, her new identity was completed with a Texas drivers license. 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. 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. She had brown hair and hazel eyes. The request was made in Bakersfield, California. 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. They looked for signs of gambling addiction and sex trafficking. She died by suicide in the driveway of her former in-laws' home in Longview, Texas, on Christmas Eve 2010. 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. Marriage is a sacred act between two people that care deeply for one another. Fitzpatrick found matching DNA records using saliva samples of Blake and Loris daughter. 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. They believed she fled because she did not like her mothers new husband. 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. 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. 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). The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs filed a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. [7] She then traveled to Idaho, where she used the document to obtain a state ID card on June 16.[8]. 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. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Years later, in the life she created with Ruff, tensions between the Verizon account manager and the wife he never really knew eventually reached a breaking point. Upon opening the container, Blakediscovered why: Inside was a birth certificate and IDs belonging to several different people. Given some of the comments she made or suggested, she didnt appear to realize why the marriage ended. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. Lori Erica Ruff Kept Her Past Locked Up in a Secret Safe Blake Ruff thought he had found someone special. I also want to get the Early Bird Books newsletter featuring great deals on ebooks. 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 wasnt Lori Erica Ruffshe was a Pennsylvania woman named Kimberly McLean. Trophy Wife: Dirigido por Christian Sesma. 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. The family members identified the picture of the mystery woman as Kimberly Mclean. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. [8], In the months between the separation and Lori's suicide, she behaved very erratically. The local police department began a routine investigation and quickly found a safe at the bottom of a closet. Get personalized recommendations, and learn where to watch across hundreds of streaming providers. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. [1] Despite the questions Blake's family had about Lori, the couple married in January 2004. In a matter of months, Lori completely deteriorated. She was above average height at 5feet 10inches (1.78m) tall, and weighed 160 pounds (73kg). Blake, who was close with his parents, couldn't take it anymore. About a month afterward, the certificate was used to obtain legal identification in Idaho. And why didn't she see any other option but to end her own life? Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices. She parked her car, left it running, and shot herself. [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. Historic Mysteries provides captivating articles on archaeology, history, and unexplained mysteries. 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. Her father-in-law discovered her body inside Blakes car. According to Deannes brother, Tom, Kimberly grew irate after her mother and father separated in the 1980s. She received a Texas driver license in 1989 and qualified for a GED[8] the following year. Every day, stories unfold that have no resolution. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number a move that effectively erased her past. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. There was a birth and death certificate in the box. Apparently, after Becky Sue Turner perished, a woman turned up and requested a copy of the birth certificate. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. This is a true crime podcast that spares none of the details and delves into what makes these killers tick. However, it was written on hotel stationery from Bangkok, Thailand. 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. To give you the best possible experience, this site uses cookies. Kimberly Maria McLean, a.k.a. Over time the pair grew closer and eventually, they eloped to Dallas. She also received breast implants during this time. 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. To her husband, she was Lori Kennedy. Image: http://reallifeishorror.blogspot.co.uk/. 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. But who she really was is still a mystery. After earning a GED and a college degree, she married into a wealthy East Texas family and gave birth to a daughter. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff (October 16, 1968-December 24, 2010), was an identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. For years, it was nothing but a series of dead ends. 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. [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. Although she left notes for her husband and her daughter, they didn't provide any clues. After they married, Lori and Blake moved across the state from his parents, and they tried to have a child almost immediately. Then, in September 2016, the case of Lori Erica Ruff was finally solved: her real name wasKimberly McLean. The harassment was so severe that the Ruffs were planning to file a cease and desist order just before Lori's death. The family tried everything to find her but she changed her name and location regularly, making it difficult for Kimberlys family to find her. Perhaps because of these miscarriages, Lori was ultra-protective of her daughter. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. 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. Now, as he opened it, he understood why it was forbidden territory. 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. Be the first to contribute! Various identification cards of Lori Ruff (AKA: Kimberly McLean) retrieved from the Social Security Administration. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. RedHanded the podcast jumps head first into all manner of macabre madness. These secrets Lori Ruff had kept from even her husband, Blake Ruff, and his family. 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. Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff, was an American identity thief who remained unidentified for nearly six years after her death. As with the birth certificate, it was relatively straight forward to acquire a new social security number. Buried deep in the back of Lori's closet, Blake pulled out a sealed lockbox. A neighbor recalled that she and her daughter appeared to be very thin and that Lori would often ramble incoherently about her problems. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. And she may have even attempted to break into the family's home, according to the Seattle Times. They tried several times to have a child, but had trouble conceiving and suffered multiple miscarriages. 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. Lori met her future husband, Blake, in 2003. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. [citation needed], After Lori's funeral, some of the Ruffs drove to Leonard to see if they could find out more about her in her house. "My God, thats Kimberly! The family member confirmed Ruff was actually Kimberly McLean, daughter of Deanne Cassidy and James McLean, who had run away from home in Pennsylvania at the age of 18.
Fishing Rod Repair Shops Near Me, Hickey Like Spots On Leg, Articles L