TX - 'Lori Ruff', Longview, WhtFem UP9863, *General Discussion and Theories* #4

[KateB]

This case is being investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General. The decedent committed suicide in 2010, and it was subsequently learned that she had been living under an assumed identity. Her true identity is unknown. The image in NamUs is an actual photograph of the decedent taken in 1990.

Brown hair, hazel eyes,
Estimated age Adult - Pre 50
Minimum age 41 years
Maximum age 50 years
Race White
Ethnicity
Sex Female
Weight (pounds) 160, Estimated
Height (inches) 70, Estimated
https://identifyus.org/en/cases/9863

Thread #1
Thread #2
Thread #3
2012-2013 Discussion Thread
Timeline and Media Thread *NO DISCUSSION*

Photos Only *NO DISCUSSION*

Possible matches for UID Longview, TX woman

Unidentified and Unclaimed Forum Suggestions & Guidelines **REQUIRED READING**

Forum Index of all other "Lori Ruff" threads: Mysterious woman from Longview, Texas

 

[tiffay01]

For those of you who've had contact with the Ruffs I wonder if it's worth contacting the family (or neighbour / pastor) again to let them know the story might be about to go viral? They might just prefer to keep control of it and release an official statement to avoid Lori being splashed all over social media.

I would suspect that they are either watching these boards or have someone watching so they know what's going on. IMO. Or, they are simply prepared for it. Let's just hope that her baby girl is protect and well taken care of and out of the public eye. I have a feeling the Ruffs will shut it down quickly. Just my opinion.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I would suspect that they are either watching these boards or have someone watching so they know what's going on. IMO. Or, they are simply prepared for it. Let's just hope that her baby girl is protect and well taken care of and out of the public eye. I have a feeling the Ruffs will shut it down quickly. Just my opinion.

I hope they realise that if this does "go viral" their lives could become even more uncomfortable with more people asking questions and digging into the family history. In my opinion the only way they can make all this all stop is to confirm what the situation is regards Lori's identification. It's not going to go away.

 

[llywrch]

Ok. So I just got a PM from a guy who says he was Lori/Blakes neighbor in Leonard. He stated he was the original PI who helped the ruffs and he worked on the case for 3 months. I asked him some info:
Did you find the Idaho Id? He said it was in the lockbox and he is the one who opened the box.
(snip)
What is weird is I thought Velling found the Idaho ID later.

According to the Seattle Times article:

She got an Idaho ID card in Becky Sue’s name in Boise, claiming she was 18 years old.

“What this tells me is that Jane Doe was in Idaho in 1988,” Velling said. This tidbit, discovered just last week, strengthens the hypothesis that she was from the Northwest. She also kept a mail drop in Boulder City, Nev., which forwarded her mail to Dallas.

So either Velling received the ID card (the original or a copy) almost 2 years after he was asked to begin the investigation, or the journalist got her facts confused here. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second: newspaper articles are written under pressure of deadlines, & this is a point that could be easily overlooked when the article was fact-checked & copy-edited. And it's a warning to all of us not to try to read too much in what has been written about this case.

I'm curious just how far did the PI look into this. Was it just to find out who BST was, & he stopped when he discovered that BST died as a child & LEK clearly wasn't her? Or did he poke into her background a little further, perhaps learning something about her life between the time she moved to Dallas & married Blake?

In any case, thanks for the additional information Linda. This helps to understand a bit more about what we have been told about LEK.

 

[newfiedee]

I hope they realise that if this does "go viral" their lives could become even more uncomfortable with more people asking questions and digging into the family history. In my opinion the only way they can make all this all stop is to confirm what the situation is regards Lori's identification. It's not going to go away.

To be honest , im surewe have heard every scenerio in the book. worst thing could be she murdered someone .. other than that , life happens and the ruffs aren't shielded from it more than any of us...

 

[milkymama]

According to the Seattle Times article:


So either Velling received the ID card (the original or a copy) almost 2 years after he was asked to begin the investigation, or the journalist got her facts confused here. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second: newspaper articles are written under pressure of deadlines, & this is a point that could be easily overlooked when the article was fact-checked & copy-edited. And it's a warning to all of us not to try to read too much in what has been written about this case.

I'm curious just how far did the PI look into this. Was it just to find out who BST was, & he stopped when he discovered that BST died as a child & LEK clearly wasn't her? Or did he poke into her background a little further, perhaps learning something about her life between the time she moved to Dallas & married Blake?

In any case, thanks for the additional information Linda. This helps to understand a bit more about what we have been told about LEK.

It certainly could have been misquoted, but in the FOIA docs (my apologies as originally I stated that the Idaho ID info was in the FOIA docs...it was not mentioned specifically or even alluded to) it says that he asked the Turners if they recognized her based off the TEXAS ID. If he had the IDAHO one in the time period covered by his report (9/21/11-10/1911), I would have expected him to ask them if he recognized the Idaho one, as it was the oldest. Yes, I am assuming, but based on the quote from the article, the fact that he got a binder of stuff from a congressman (2nd-3rd hand vs direct from police), the documents state that additional "digging" was done to assemble docs beyond what was in the lockbox, and the lack of usage of the ID in late 2011 to seek people who recognized her, its definitely a good possibility IMO that it was not in the box and was not discovered until mid-2013. However, maybe it makes no difference either way but it makes me curious! Also, if the Idaho ID wasn't the tidbit not uncovered until mid-2013 (although it is pretty specifically stated), what WAS the new tidbit?

 

[Linda9681]

According to the Seattle Times article:


So either Velling received the ID card (the original or a copy) almost 2 years after he was asked to begin the investigation, or the journalist got her facts confused here. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the second: newspaper articles are written under pressure of deadlines, & this is a point that could be easily overlooked when the article was fact-checked & copy-edited. And it's a warning to all of us not to try to read too much in what has been written about this case.

I'm curious just how far did the PI look into this. Was it just to find out who BST was, & he stopped when he discovered that BST died as a child & LEK clearly wasn't her? Or did he poke into her background a little further, perhaps learning something about her life between the time she moved to Dallas & married Blake?

In any case, thanks for the additional information Linda. This helps to understand a bit more about what we have been told about LEK.

I KNEW I had read they found it later, and I was so confused about the whole thing!
I BET the writer meant they had just found the PO box.
The more important question is WHAT NAME WAS THE PO BOX IN. Was she using Becky or Lori? When was it established?
I bet money she also had a PO box in Leonard or very close by.


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[CoverMeCagney]

To be honest , im surewe have heard every scenerio in the book. worst thing could be she murdered someone .. other than that , life happens and the ruffs aren't shielded from it more than any of us...

True. And if she really IS "just" an 18 year old who ran away it might be nothing more than a difficult childhood. I suspect there's more to it than that, but probably not to the extent of some of the more outlandish theories floating the 'net.

Can I suggest if anyone has any good lists, timelines, summaries etc that they get posted here in this new thread. If Reddit take hold of this we might get quite a few new visitors and it'd be useful to have some things accessible.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Bringing forward:

Timeline from wiki (in my own words)

May 1988: She requested the birth certificate of Becky Sue Turner, a two-year-old girl who was killed in a house fire in Washington in 1971. The request was made in Bakersfield, California.

June 16th 1988: She traveled to Idaho, where she obtained a state ID card using the girl's birth certificate.

July 5th 1988: After obtaining the driver's license, Ruff went before a judge in Dallas to legally changed her name to Lori Erica Kennedy

July 1988: She obtained a social security number, effectively erasing her past.

1989: She received a Texas driver license

1990: Qualified for a GED then enrolled in Dallas County Community College.

1997: Graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997, with a degree in Business Administration.

2003: Met Blake

2008: Had daughter after several miscarriages

2010: Blake files for divorce and on Xmas Eve Loris kills herself (shot in the head on in-laws driveway)


All correct?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lori_Erica_Ruff

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Anyone know how to bring a full post forward from the last thread? Trying to copy over my list of the driving licence photos, just for reference. It's post 1007 from 19th.

 

[Linda9681]

I know this also sound crazy... But she had " chub" in her Idaho ID.. Either she was young or MAYBe 402 months could mean 40wks in 2 months. Possible she was pregnant? Could be a reason she got her new ID so fast. Her next ID she looked MUCH slimmer in the face.

Another thought is 402 was in reference to the cost of a PO box. 40 dollars for 2 months?? I thought of this because I overheard a lady quote a price for a PO box while I was facing something and she said they had a special it was x dollars for 2 months minimum


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[NovemberRain]

This is my first post on WS, so I hope it isn't a stupid question. When FLEK had her name legally change from BST to LEK did she have to give a reason for the change? Would there be a record of the reason for it or would that be sealed for some reason. This case baffles me.

 

[anonymess]

Has it ever been confirmed that she got that degree? She wouldn't be the first or last to fake a qualification, and, though we know little about her, we know she is good at falsifying docs!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

This is my first post on WS, so I hope it isn't a stupid question. When FLEK had her name legally change from BST to LEK did she have to give a reason for the change? Would there be a record of the reason for it or would that be sealed for some reason. This case baffles me.

Yes, you'd think there's be a better paper trail behind these name changes. I still can't quite believe it is/was so easy to change your ID. Rock up with a random birth certificate and get a new identity? No probs! Surely it must have been more complex that that, there must have been paperwork or other proof?

 

[milkymama]

We don't know what she presented or told the judge who approved the change from Becky to Lori, but she probably showed the Idaho ID (otherwise why get it?) and the BST birth certificate. Plus oral testimony. We don't know what she testified or any other details besides the court order (which was not revealing at all). I wonder would the case fIle have been kept this long or purged? There weren't any docs available on the courts website iirc except the fact that there was a hearing and the name was changed. But just because they weren't scanned into the web doesn't mean they aren't in a filing cabinet somewhere in the courthouse.

 

[taurusgal]

I may be corrected, but I believe a person can do a name change with no reason given, I have no idea how detailed or the length of the process.

ETA: here's the Wiki how-to, I dont have time to read it at this moment, I may be incorrect.
http://www.wikihow.com/Change-Your-Name-in-Texas

 

[PickAName]

Yes, you'd think there's be a better paper trail behind these name changes. I still can't quite believe it is/was so easy to change your ID. Rock up with a random birth certificate and get a new identity? No probs! Surely it must have been more complex that that, there must have been paperwork or other proof?

Hmmm. I don't know about that. A few years before LEK got BST's birth certificate my husband needed his for some reason. He couldn't find the original and so his mother called the hospital and requested a copy (he was working that day). She got it and I'm not sure what she had to provide, if anything. Perhaps his birthdate, and name obviously, but as far as ID goes, all he had was his drivers license which was with him at work. This was approx. 1985. And when I started working in the early 80's, it was no big deal to have your health insurance ID number be your SS number!

It seems personal info was given out a lot more freely before everything got connected on the internet.

So perhaps it really was quite easy for her. If someone got suspicious while she was on the phone she could easily just hang up. She could have always called from a pay phone if tracing a phone number was easy back then, IDK. Lol, my age is showing big time.

Edit: Sorry, I'm replying like you were inquiring about the birth cert. But I still think that once you have that birth certificate and an ID or driver's license, it's probably all the proof you need to prove you are who you say you are. I don't know what type of reasons there are to change your name or if you need any.

 

[milkymama]

This is the actual court order. Some form of testimony was given and certain "facts" alleged and proven.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

This is the actual court order. Some form of testimony was given and certain "facts" alleged and proven.View attachment 91233

Thanks for this. It's the Idaho ID application I'm interested in, I guess there's no trace of that? Surely she must have needed more than a random birth certificate to get a state ID card, otherwise it would be a common method for teens to get hold of "older" ID?

 

[milkymama]

Thanks for this. It's the Idaho ID application I'm interested in, I guess there's no trace of that? Surely she must have needed more than a random birth certificate to get a state ID card, otherwise it would be a common method for teens to get hold of "older" ID?

Here is a link containing Idaho laws on Id cards. It documents changes to the law over time. https://archive.org/stream/govlawidcode200849/govlawidcode200849_djvu.txt. it appears she would have just needed a birth certificate and something from social security stating she has no ssn. Or if she did have one, proof of it. I think. I'm looking at a tiny screen.