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. Related: Girl in the Green Mac: The Baffling, Unsolved Disappearance of Sheila Fox. 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. She left behind an 11-page suicide note but apparently no clue that she had lived a secret life. And, why had she changed her identity and hid her past from those closest to her? You can help support the show at patreon.com/criminology, Learn more about your ad choices. Lori attended the University of Texas regularly and graduated with a business administration degree in 1997. Lori and Blake tried to have a child almost immediately after they were married, but found themselves experiencing fertility issues. Related: A Killer Calls: The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Jane Scott. We now need to revise that list to seven, since one of those mysteries has now been solved. Lori Ruffs handwritten notes. [1] She eventually graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration. (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.) Or, Lori Erika Kennedy? "My God, that's Kimberly!," one Pennsylvania relative exclaimed, the Seattle Times reported. Lori Erica Ruff was a secretive person. Where is the Body of the Legendary King Gorm of Denmark. When asked about her background,Lori was guarded and evasive; she claimed her parents were dead and she had no siblings. How had their marriage fallen apart? [1] Velling approached a relative, who immediately identified the deceased Lori Ruff as Kimberly McLean.[1]. This has led investigators to believe that Ruff was much older than she claimed to be. The trail leading backwards was in the forbidden lockbox. Market data provided by Factset. 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. In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Ruff did his best to find out as much about his new partner as he could. Trophy Wife (2022) - IMDb Lori Erica Ruff The Generation Why Podcast. After Lori Erica Ruff's death, Blake Ruff realized his wife was a complete stranger. [3], After getting married, the Ruffs moved to Leonard, Texas. Days later, she applied for and received a Social Security number - a. Where is Lori Ruff's Daughter Now? - The Cinemaholic Synopsis [3], In 2003, she met Blake Ruff, the son of a well-established family in East Texas,[2][3] in a Bible study class. Ruff gradually acquired more documents in her new name, including a Social Security number. Lori Erica Ruff - Top podcast episodes It was in 2010 when events finally took their toll on her. Both fingerprints and DNA testing turned up nothing to help get to the bottom of her true identity. Erica Kelley is a native Tennessean exploring historical and contemporary true crime in the South. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. 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. Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher. | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | DMCA Notice, This website uses cookies to improve your experience. [4] She also said her father was a failed stockbroker. 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. After following numerous leads he was stumped, and sought the help of the general public to identify her through an article published June 22, 2013, in The Seattle Times. Lori definitely was not who she portrayed herself to be, so who was she? ", "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. 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. 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. Be the first to contribute! Unfortunately, it looks like Lori took all of her secrets to the grave. 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. Lori Erica Ruff's true identity was Kimberly McLean. 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. However, over time he began to get the impression that he was the only one trying to make their marriage work. She told them her parents were dead and that she had no living siblings or extended family. 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. Yes! 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. But Blake was in love. The letter failed to mention crucial details such what was her role and responsibilities. McLean also asked them not to come after her. Strange life of identity thief Lori Ruff, aka Kimberly McLean 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 Minds of Madness - True Crime Stories. 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. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Hosts Mike Ferguson and Mike Gibson guide you through the most interesting true crime stories. Was she Lori Erica Ruff? 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 . In 2010, after she took her own life, secrets were revealed and the truth about her past began to unravel. Blake Ruff has admitted that he isn't completely sure what drew him to Lori. 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. 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. Sign up for The Lineup's newsletter, and receive our eeriest cases delivered straight to your inbox. or redistributed. That created a lot of heartburn for the family.. Lori began to complain to Blake about his parents whenever she was even mildly inconvenienced. 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. It took hard work on the part of investigators and some unique forensic genealogy for the truth to come out. 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. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. Lori Erica Ruff Criminology podcast Whatever the motivation behind one man entering wedlock to one woman, both parties usually do know each other intimately. 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. [1] She eventually gave birth to a baby girl via in-vitro fertilization in 2008. They separated, but on Christmas Eve, 2010, the woman everyone knew as Lori Erica Ruff pulled into the driveway of the Ruff family home and shot herself. One of television's most popular true-crime series adapted for your ears. Image: Social Security Administration. She had told him she was from Arizona, that both her parents were dead, and that she had no siblings. Everyone in Dallas has an accent and she did not. Although Blakes family was suspicious of Lori from the beginning, Blake himself was very much in love. It was under this new assumed name that sheeventually moved to the Dallas area, where she met andmarried Blake Ruff. Different cultures define matrimony in different ways and tie the knot for various reasons. Most of these discoveries came from talking to those that she had worked with previously. 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. She suffered a miscarriage before eventually giving birth to a baby girl in 2008. Or, Becky Sue Turner? Velling, a seasoned government sleuth, has been stumped in figuring out the true name and background of this Jane Doe, who took on aliases with spy-like sophistication. Lori Erica Ruff (Podcast Episode 2021) - Plot Summary - IMDb After her death, Lori's husband found a lockbox with papers inside that shed light on his wife's past. Mother and child spent a lot of time together, which is normal for such a doting mother. 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.