Lori Ruff Identified as Kimberly McLean of PA

[ilovepierre]

What are some of the questions that everyone has now that you would like to have the answers to?

*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

The notes page.
Did she write all that stuff? What does it all mean?

 

[OBrunhilde!]

Why do you all call her Kimberly? She obviously didn't want us to do that. She's Lori.

I definitely see your point here. However, I guess it doesn't seem as obvious to me as it does to you. She did choose Lori, true. But we don't know if it was under duress (real or perceived) and we don't know if she came to regret it. Considering the outcome, I think she might have. Nonetheless, good arguments could be made either way, so I will go with the flow..

 

[coco36]

What are some of the questions that everyone has now that you would like to have the answers to?

I'd like to understand the page of notes and why she kept them.

I'd like to know why she felt she had to change her identity twice.

What I'd really like is for someone who knew her and could speak to her good parts. She's been defined as an adolescent who couldn't cope, an identity thief, a strange person with strange habits who didn't fit in her marriage family. S/S's posts gave us another glimpse. It showed her as a caring, warm person. I'd like to know that Kimberly/Lori.

I think, however, these things I want to know are things that probably none of my business. I hope her daughter grows up surrounded by love.

 

[Tulessa]

What are some of the questions that everyone has now that you would like to have the answers to?

*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

Honestly, I have none. I'm glad she was identified.

 

[beccaraeee]

What are some of the questions that everyone has now that you would like to have the answers to?

*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified.*

How did she choose BST? Or even know how to pull the whole identity theft off at such a young age.


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[Dogface]

I would really like to see a picture of her as Kimberly.

Most of my questions could only be answered by Lori...why? Did she regret it? Did she keep the mementos for sentimental reasons? How did she come up with BST to use for her identity change?

 

[poppygirl]

Very happy she was finally ID'd and holy cow on how that came about.

Many many many thanks to the forensic genealogist (Fitzpatrick?) and Veller for not giving up on this one! I love genealogy and never once considered it could be used to solve a mystery like this one.

I am just amazed by all of it!!!


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[Magnum P.E.]

Quote Originally Posted by sunnynz View Post
I just don't believe that the Ruffs would let the sheriff's office and Namus continue to dedicate man hours to attempting to make matches if they knew it was all a big waste of time because they already knew FLEK's identity. That would be so irresponsible surely?

Who knows. Far stranger things have happened. I checked tonight, and I have 314 cousins on Ancestry.com. If someone wanted to of needed to, they could find out who I was through the closest relatives that show up.
If the family REALLY wanted to know FLEK's identity, they could run the daughter's DNA through it. Then it would be up to forensic genealogy. Perhaps they have done that already and have kept quiet. That is how the true identity of Benjamin Kyle was found. I wonder if, when her true identity eventually comes out, all theories will be wrong and we will all say "Who?"
BTW, I think that if I hear someone say "I think she was escaping an abusive relationship" one more time, I will explode. While it could be true, it has been postulated a hundred times with not a shred of evidence.

Reply to sunnynz Posted by me on 8/17/2016

 

[south fishy]

I live in Philly and am in and around all of the mention suburbs on occasion. it seems so odd that she is from here. Not to mention, her real birthdate 10-16-68 jumped out at me like a bomb. My high school sweetheart was born on the exact same day and committed suicide at the same age and in the same manner the early morning of the first court date for child custody hearings after his wife divorced him.

Life is so strange. We are all perfect strangers but not really.

 

[BigCityAccountant]

Thank you for the clarification! I just wanted to quote to make sure people saw this and didn't get carried away. I did a little sleuthing but I think I might just let it go now. For those curious, however, there are not really 2 missing years of Kim's life. In 1986 she lived alone in King of Prussia, PA just as the ST article said. I found her address in 1987 and she was still in PA, living in an apt alone. She lived in Devon only 1.5 miles from the Strafford library that she had the phone number for on the notes page. It seems she never used her name again when she left PA in 1987 or 1988. The time frame for when she did this was very short--I would guess less than a year. A lot can happen in just a few months, however.

I am curious that is was said that she was in PA at some point, which was after she left, IIRC?

If that is the case, did she go back home at that point and leave again? Someone last night pointed out that the relative recognized her from the older photo of when she was 40 and not the younger photos. Could her trip back home while she was BST or LEK be the reason this relative recognized her?

Then again~~I'm also still curious as to what Ben and Jennifer Perkins has to do with her...LOL

 

[dexter75]

How did she choose BST? Or even know how to pull the whole identity theft off at such a young age.


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Great questions!
Sure, the paper work part of things seemed quite simple back then, however, to have concocted a " scheme " such as this?
WOW.

 

[Gardener1850]

I am curious that is was said that she was in PA at some point, which was after she left, IIRC?

If that is the case, did she go back home at that point and leave again? Someone last night pointed out that the relative recognized her from the older photo of when she was 40 and not the younger photos. Could her trip back home while she was BST or LEK be the reason this relative recognized her?

Then again~~I'm also still curious as to what Ben and Jennifer Perkins has to do with her...LOL

I was thinking about why she would recognize the more recent photos first and I wonder if it has to do with the size and quality of the photos. The ones from 1988/1990 and all her Texas license photos would be tiny in real life. An older lady with bad eyes may have trouble seeing them. The newer photo like the tea shop photo could be blown up to an 8 x 10.

 

[concernedmother]

This is a facinating story. Im surprised its not all over the news

 

[BigCityAccountant]

Unfortunately, if there's no foul play involved, it's not against the law to disappear. In my state, if there are reasons for concern, an alert can be issued that basically says if LE spots this person, make contact with them and be sure that they're OK. I forget what it's called. But that's all you can do.

*All statements are that of my own opinion unless otherwise specified. *

Just catching up today, sorry if this has been answered already. I believe what you are referring to is a well being check.

 

[BigCityAccountant]

But the Ruff family submitted the DNA from the living daughter. I think cops could do it, and just never admit it. THey could use what the learn to develop their case. its just a thought. seems DNA is becoming more and more interesting every day.

Hi Dexter!!! (I see you lurking...lol)

I mentioned Dexter because she has followed the Steven Avery case since inception as well as myself...

I see problems with LE using DNA for their own uses. Just look at the Avery case. Many speculate that the DNA evidence was planted in that case. What checks and balances would be in place to protect the innocent?

 

[mrseeker]

What is kind of ironic is her family never looked for her. So if she changed her name to hide from them it was totally unnecessary. Perhaps there was an intervening event - debt, a crime or my suspicion a man but she was free to be Kim otherwise. I would like to ask if there was a friend or boyfriend that they lost track of about this same time.

 

[BigCityAccountant]

Did she write the notes page? (I still think someone else wrote most of it and she only wrote "These Eyes")
Where did she pick up her love of Cuban food?
Why was she a vegetarian and was that the case when she was a child/teen?
Did she have an easy bake oven when she was a child or did she ever ask her parents for one?
Did she play basketball in high school? (she told Blake she did)
What was her high school job/the job she had when she moved out of the house?
Did she have a checking account/credit card in the name of Kim before changing Identities?
Did she use any other names before choosing Lori Erica Kennedy?
Was she really ever a hand model? (Now that we have her name someone could contact Visages and ask)
Did she ever actually travel to Scottsdale, AZ?
Why did she have a PO Box in Boulder City, NV? Did she live there or know someone there?
What books did she check out from the Tredyffrin Public Library? (Someone local MAY be able to go there and answer this one)
Do any of her teachers from school remember her? Classmates? Friends?
What was the religion she was raised in? (I'm just curious if she chose to become Southern Baptist after becoming LEK)

Did she know Ben or Jennifer Perkins..LOL

 

[Gardener1850]

Did she know Ben or Jennifer Perkins..LOL

When someone finds her yearbook they better flip to the P's and check for Jennifer, LOL. What if JP was a classmate who moved to Dallas and let Kim stay with her while she became Lori?

 

[dexter75]

I have encountered two schizophrenic individuals without identities in my career as a psych nurse. No real names no real history. Spent hours trying to break through the barriers. Sat at the web sites with them when stable on meds. Nothing. That is what I thought Kimberlys situation was. Very sad families out there I'm sure, never to know.

I have always wondered if mental illness played more of a role in this than anything else. Having a best friend work as a psych nurse & someone dear to me SEVERELY Bi Polar, COULD it be possible KM/LEK was very mentally ill from a young age?
Seeing a loved one go untreated who is Bi Polar,:sigh: It's something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

When I REALLY look back & read what we know now..perhaps her moods were so unstable, she truly COULDN'T handle the divorce & "new rules "
The hasty decisions she seemed to make. Many, many decisions, ( Ever witnessed a person when he/she is in a manic episode? My family member, traveled half the country in a beat up old van because this person felt INVINCIBLE, stopping at various casinos along the way. Was only supposed to drive from S. Carolina, to Michigan ) like the stripping? Then becoming Southern Baptisit. ( Not at all saying it is uncommon for folks to turn their lives around ) Hearing how she was very sweet & hearing how she could be extremely paranoid.

I could reference much more, I won't. I know you all are pretty darn smart people:loveyou:

This has just been in the back of, sometimes the front of my mind since the case broke. Perhaps all of this was due to severely untreated mental illness? Her leaving and staying gone I mean. Perhaps it wasn't.

I'd be curious to know from a family member who knew her in her younger years, if she struggled with mental health troubles. Then again we ARE talking mental illness in the 80's..which hardly anyone ever TALKED about, much less knew what the " signs " of certain illnesses were.:thinking: Did Bi Polar or depression even have their names yet?

All just my thoughts & opinions. Some of them anyway

 

[Sherwood Park]

What is kind of ironic is her family never looked for her. So if she changed her name to hide from them it was totally unnecessary. Perhaps there was an intervening event - debt, a crime or my suspicion a man but she was free to be Kim otherwise. I would like to ask if there was a friend or boyfriend that they lost track of about this same time.

Where are people getting the idea that her family never looked for her? Is this true? Even if they didn't file a missing persons report it doesn't mean the family didn't look for her. Remember she changed her name twice. It would have made it more difficult to search for her.
She chose to leave her family, she was not a run away, she was an adult. She did a lot of work to change her identity, she did not want to be found by who ever (family, friends, enemies).
This must be painful for her family, to know that she died alone despite having a family that had missed her and maybe/likely would have welcomed her back home with open arms and forgiveness. They certainly welcome her daughter into their lives (thank goodness).