TX - 'Lori Ruff', Longview, WhtFem UP9863, *General Discussion and Theories* #5

[Gardener1850]

Did you notice the names associated with THAT PO Box?

I found Ed!th fairly quickly--she married a WR B@rker and his family line has been traced back to the 1600's and before. I saw no connection between them and the Idaho B@rkers. Can't figure out B0nnie's age as there are two different age ranges for her. She was probably related to the same family (or married into it) though since she used that PO Box. Just another instance of B@rker being extremely common last name.

And with that I'm fftobed:

 

[Linda9681]

Just some musings on some recent topics...

I grew up in Arlington and it was definitely separate from Ft. Worth. I went to college in Ft. Worth and UT-Arlington was definitely considered a relatively "far" distance away (for something like say...a frat party )

I could see Chelsea's Tea Room in the past as a tea room for ladies to meet and they probably didn't have a website. As it became more popular to have children's parties at these places they might have changed to cater to this clientele. This seems like a place my mom might have gone with friends but I've never heard of it. Will have to ask her about it. Bummer that there is no history of the business or information about the owners on the website.

There was no public transportation for the D-FW metroplex back then (not sure if there is now). I would have considered it a long drive to go from Ft. Worth to Dallas but Hurst-Euless-Bedford and Arlington/Grand Prairie are kind of in the middle. Not such a bad drive from Ft. Worth. She would have definitely had a car and really did hop around in terms of housing.

I got married in Ft. Worth in 2001 and am almost positive that we had to have our birth certificates to get the license.

I agree with whomever (sorry I forgot who!) said that they could see Lori as waitstaff or other type of employee at the gentleman's club if she did indeed work at one. I just could never see her as a dancer - she looks way too reserved and (despite the boob job) didn't have the body type of a typical dancer. imho.

I found this about the tea room:

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...ea's tea room and boutique owner info&f=false


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[CoverMeCagney]

I have always said the best bet with this case is to get it going viral on social media, a la Grateful Doe. Someone will provide a name or more information pretty quickly I reckon. Local town pages would be a good start.

 

[Katinka]

I wasn't familiar with that PO BOX, what is it from may I ask?

Here is something interesting, when I google that PO Box...Look what comes up?

The PO Box in Bedford was listed on My Heritage. Here is a full listing of that record.
Lori Erica Kennedy

Birth:	July 18 1969
Also known as:	Ruff E Lori

Possible relatives Name Birth Jon Ruff

Residences Residence 1111 W Airport Fwy, Ste 147, Irving Texas 75062-6204, USA 200 Bear Creek Dr, Apt 219, Euless Texas 76039-2060, USA 543344 PO Box, Dallas Texas 75354-3344, USA 810 PO Box, Euless Texas 76039-0810, USA 2436 Harwood Rd, Apt 387, Bedford Texas 76021-3628, USA 6266 Melody Ln, Apt 3079, Dallas Texas 75231-7585, USA 210844 PO Box, Bedford Texas 76095-7844, USA 1811 E Frankford Rd, Apt 1004, Carrollton Texas 75007-5236, USA 1811 E Frankford Rd, Carrollton Texas 75007-5284, USA 221 County Road 5066, Leonard Texas 75452-3925, USA 1978 Oak Creek Ln, Apt 16, Bedford Texas 76022-7944, USA 2436 Harwood Rd, Bedford Texas 76021-3691, USA 3146 Hudnall St, Dallas Texas 75235-7908, USA 3901 Oakridge Ct, Apt 3815, Fort Worth Texas 76155-4845, USA

Phone numbers

Number	Date
(817) 355-0747	Aug 1 2002
355-0747	Nov 15 2007
(817) 267-8712	Mar 25 2008

Business associations

Title	Business	Place
Contact	Cantebria Crossing	[ Bedford, Texas, USA

 

[Katinka]

Sorry, here are the residences listed with that record.

Residence
1111 W Airport Fwy, Ste 147, Irving Texas 75062-6204, USA
200 Bear Creek Dr, Apt 219, Euless Texas 76039-2060, USA
543344 PO Box, Dallas Texas 75354-3344, USA
810 PO Box, Euless Texas 76039-0810, USA
2436 Harwood Rd, Apt 387, Bedford Texas 76021-3628, USA
[6266 Melody Ln, Apt 3079, Dallas Texas 75231-7585, USA
210844 PO Box, Bedford Texas 76095-7844, USA
1811 E Frankford Rd, Apt 1004, Carrollton Texas 75007-5236, USA
1811 E Frankford Rd, Carrollton Texas 75007-5284, USA
221 County Road 5066, Leonard Texas 75452-3925, USA
1978 Oak Creek Ln, Apt 16, Bedford Texas 76022-7944, USA
2436 Harwood Rd, Bedford Texas 76021-3691, USA
3146 Hudnall St, Dallas Texas 75235-7908, USA
3901 Oakridge Ct, Apt 3815, Fort Worth Texas 76155-4845, USA

 

[BigCityAccountant]

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...ea's tea room and boutique owner info&f=false

 

[Gardener1850]

I found this about the tea room:

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...ea's tea room and boutique owner info&f=false


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So, if I'm reading that correctly, that tea room was ALWAYS a dress up place for little girls. It would be very strange for a college student to hang out there. I'm not sure what reason she would even have for going in there. If this guy commenting on YT is on the level, that is strange behavior. Could he have meant that she worked there? More importantly, do the same owners still run Chelsea's? Any locals want to go there and ask about Lori?

 

[Owutatangledweb]

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...ea's tea room and boutique owner info&f=false

I wonder if the Ruff family still has her teapots that were pictured in the cupboard of her home. If she bought any of them at Chelsea's, perhaps they could be traced back to there and this guy's story verified. And maybe she was just a customer who bought teapots there. And maybe she DID travel to London (passport) and developed the penchant for tea when she went there.

All maybes. I hope the Ruffs read here and find out for themselves.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

On the stripper subject: sometimes women do what they have to do to get by in a town where they have little resources. It's quick, easy money. And it MAY also come into play with the previously mentioned possible criminal charge. Many times these types of businesses also involve the drug trade. All of this strictly speculation.

One thing that seems to go hand in hand with the stripper notation that I've seen is that she had a breast augmentation. * fake gasp* Well, so have I, and several of my female friends. None of us have ever danced on a stage for dollar bills. She doesn't look disproportionate in the pictures I've seen, so my guess would be that perhaps she had it done to semi alter her appearance. Didn't she also have rhinoplasty? A nose and boob job are commonly done at the same time. And maybe she was a bookkeeper or did liquor purchasing at one of the larger gentlemen's clubs. I'm not buying stripper, either.

Her suicide: Yes, it seems she came prepared to carry this out. I had read somewhere previously that one of the Ruff family went out to get the morning paper and found her dead in her vehicle. Let me go back and find where that was.

Where was her daughter at when she committed suicide? I've never seen that addressed. Not that it really matters, but I pray that baby didn't witness it.

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

I don't recall that anyone from MSM sources ever said she was a stripper. My recollection is that the man interviewed by Velling said she worked at a "gentlemans club". I think the assumption has been made on the WS threads that she was a stripper because of the breast job. If I'm not mistaken, Hooters started up their chains in the 80s as well. I don't know that that would be considered a gentlemans club and don't know if there was one in the area, but point being that there are all kinds of reasons one might get a breast job.

 

[Gardener1850]

I don't recall that anyone from MSM sources ever said she was a stripper. My recollection is that the man interviewed by Velling said she worked at a "gentlemans club". I think the assumption has been made on the WS threads that she was a stripper because of the breast job. If I'm not mistaken, Hooters started up their chains in the 80s as well. I don't know that that would be considered a gentlemans club and don't know if there was one in the area, but point being that there are all kinds of reasons one might get a breast job.

The exact quote from the Seattle TImes Article: "He tracked down a few friends and colleagues from years ago. One said she had been working as a dancer at a “gentleman’s club” in the early 1990s, according to Velling. A clue, perhaps. But no one he found knew anything about Lori before 1988."

http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021243552_janedoexml.html

This is even more interesting if the guy on Youtube is telling the truth because he claims she was coming into the teashop between 1991-95. So, she was a stripper who liked to go to a tea shop where little girls dress up? Doesn't add up...unless...What are the chances that the tea shop sold things she could have used in her act? Maybe she bought costume jewelry and things like that there? IDK. Is the Youtube guy still answering questions? Someone should ask him if he remembers how she dressed back then and if she ever bought clothing or jewelry from the tea shop.

 

[Linda9681]

So, if I'm reading that correctly, that tea room was ALWAYS a dress up place for little girls. It would be very strange for a college student to hang out there. I'm not sure what reason she would even have for going in there. If this guy commenting on YT is on the level, that is strange behavior. Could he have meant that she worked there? More importantly, do the same owners still run Chelsea's? Any locals want to go there and ask about Lori?

I messaged them. No reply.


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[Hank36]

One thing about which I need to be clear:

Did the in-laws actually obtain some sort of restraining order against "Lori", or did they simply try to obtain one? There is a significant difference, and the Seattle Times article merely states that they sought a cease and desist order, failing to state exactly what activity they wanted her to cease and desist doing.

For some reason this morning, I'm inclined to play ten-cent psychiatrist again. I've previously speculated as to whether "Lori" had an absent mother; now I'm wondering if this fits into the dynamic of her marriage, to the extent that her husband seems to have an overbearing, controlling mother, and whether he "married his mother". (In other words, is the bad blood between "Lori" and her in-laws the result of a personality clash, or were they each competing for the same thing? Again--the family is trying awfully hard to make her sound clinically insane, and I'm not so sure she wasn't simply having a breakdown that, under these circumstances, seems at least understandable. Rather that her paranoia decreasing over time, the rapid evolution of the internet almost certainly ramped up the amount of stress she was under--if the right person ever made the right Google search, her whole scheme could have been exposed without her realizing it until somebody from the SSA came knocking.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I messaged them. No reply.


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Linda, did you ever hear anything again from Derek Abbot?
As an aside to that/him, KayElJay is going to try and find out what happened to his other case thread re Taman Shud.

 

[Linda9681]

No. I think many people starting emailing him so he just shut down the info stream.


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[Gardener1850]

One thing about which I need to be clear:

Did the in-laws actually obtain some sort of restraining order against "Lori", or did they simply try to obtain one? There is a significant difference, and the Seattle Times article merely states that they sought a cease and desist order, failing to state exactly what activity they wanted her to cease and desist doing.

For some reason this morning, I'm inclined to play ten-cent psychiatrist again. I've previously speculated as to whether "Lori" had an absent mother; now I'm wondering if this fits into the dynamic of her marriage, to the extent that her husband seems to have an overbearing, controlling mother, and whether he "married his mother". (In other words, is the bad blood between "Lori" and her in-laws the result of a personality clash, or were they each competing for the same thing? Again--the family is trying awfully hard to make her sound clinically insane, and I'm not so sure she wasn't simply having a breakdown that, under these circumstances, seems at least understandable. Rather that her paranoia decreasing over time, the rapid evolution of the internet almost certainly ramped up the amount of stress she was under--if the right person ever made the right Google search, her whole scheme could have been exposed without her realizing it until somebody from the SSA came knocking.

Sorry I don't think we know for sure. I mis-remembered and wrote "restraining order" when the article just states they asked a judge to file a "cease and desist". IANAL so I don't know the finer details of the difference between these two things. Rereading the ST article it sounds like maybe the order was requested "a few days before Christmas" and close to her death. Maybe they never got a chance to officially file it before she killed herself?

The relevant quotes from ST:
"In the fall of 2010, Lori began sending threatening emails to the Ruffs. She caused a ruckus during one custody exchange, the family said. Afterward, they noticed one of their house keys was missing. Nancy recalls hearing the squeak of their backyard gate one morning just before Christmas.

The Ruffs were so concerned they asked a judge to order Lori to cease and desist.

On Christmas Eve 2010, Blake’s father, Jon Ruff, shuffled out to get his paper. As he raised the garage door, he saw a black Tahoe idling in the driveway. He immediately went inside and called police."

http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021243552_janedoexml.html

 

[llywrch]

Maybe she had narcolepsy. Seriously. I mean, taking a nap? As antisocial behaviors go, that ranks right up there with wearing white shoes after Labor Day.

I'm skeptical about the veracity of that Seattle Times article, partly because I don't think that writer interviewed anybody other than her husband and her in-laws--who clearly seemed to despise her, specifically complaining about:

1. She never told them that she illegally changed her identity.
2. She "fought" her in-laws "at every turn". How did she fight them? What did they fight over? Money? Sports teams? Politics? What?
3. During family get-togethers, she would slip away to take a nap. OMFG! We don't know how many times this happened, and we don't really even know the circumstances under which these so-called "naps" occurred, but by God, we're led to believe that this could only be the behavior of a deranged shrew.

What else? DId she routinely fail to rewind movies she rented at Blockbuster? Wipe off the handle of her shopping cart with hand sanitizer every time she shopped? Disagree with her mother-in-law about whether Lite beer tasted great or had less filling?

My grandfather made an art form out of dozing off at family get-togethers, and I'm determined to carry on his legacy.

Okay, a caveat here: #2 is my wording. The Seattle Times article does not say that, exactly. Nor is it the source for my statement about sneaking off to take naps. (I don't remember where I read that; there have been a few stories about her, & while they all copy heavily from the original Seattle Times story, each one will add small details the others omit. For example, the Fox News article has the most complete report about LEK's former would-be boyfriend.) And at first, these stories led me to be hostile towards the Ruffs.

But as I sifted thru the sketchy information about LEK, & formed an opinion about her, one thing repeatedly stood out: her diffidence towards others. This diffidence is alluded to by KdB: at first his Mom thought LEK disliked her. This would have led to a lot of friction between her & her in-laws, who were already a bit suspicious about her. And the Seattle Times article does mention how she criticized them to Blake frequently -- which is the attributed cause for the breakup of their marriage -- Blake was close to his family, while LEK obviously wanted as little to do with them as possible.

As for your grandfather... he obviously built up a lot of good will over his life. LEK was an outsider to the Ruffs, & from what we've been told never made a serious effort to fit in the family. So comparing your grandfather to LEK is more of comparing apples-to-oranges.

Anyway, blame me for the language, not the reporter at the Seattle Times.

Having written all that, your comment "about the veracity of that Seattle Times article, partly because I don't think that writer interviewed anybody other than her husband and her in-laws" is fairly accurate. There is the neighbor who was the minister who counseled them -- & was obviously in over his head dealing with them. But otherwise, everything we know about her has been second or third hand: it's what Velling, the Ruffs, or this minister has told the Seattle Times reporter, & what she decided to share. Until KdB appeared, & even if we don't hear another word from him, we still have a better sense of LEK. Otherwise, the only direct information about her has been thru the official records of her life, which have their limits to what they can tell us.

Which is why posts about the Texas she lived in help fill in the gaps.

 

[OBrunhilde!]

I found this about the tea room:

https://books.google.com/books?id=j...ea's tea room and boutique owner info&f=false


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For me, knowing this book exists really helps to put the whole Tea Angle into perspective. It seems like it was quite a popular trend in Texas, so it makes LEK's interest in taking tea really very normal and commonplace. Maybe not terribly indicative of anything at all.

The fact that the tearoom is,and has been a place for kids is a bit perplexing though. The first things that spring to mind for me: maybe she worked close by and the tearoom was the closest source of caffeine, or just a pleasant place to take a break; maybe she didn't drink alcohol or caffeine and the tea room was the closest place to get herbal tea. Those are the most " normal" explanations, at any rate.

Has as anyone called or stopped into the tearoom yet?

ETA: I just read that Linda messaged them. I will hold off contact to see if anything comes of that.

 

[llywrch]

Sorry I don't think we know for sure. I mis-remembered and wrote "restraining order" when the article just states they asked a judge to file a "cease and desist". IANAL so I don't know the finer details of the difference between these two things. Rereading the ST article it sounds like maybe the order was requested "a few days before Christmas" and close to her death. Maybe they never got a chance to officially file it before she killed herself?

The relevant quotes from ST:
"In the fall of 2010, Lori began sending threatening emails to the Ruffs. She caused a ruckus during one custody exchange, the family said. Afterward, they noticed one of their house keys was missing. Nancy recalls hearing the squeak of their backyard gate one morning just before Christmas.

The Ruffs were so concerned they asked a judge to order Lori to cease and desist.

On Christmas Eve 2010, Blake’s father, Jon Ruff, shuffled out to get his paper. As he raised the garage door, he saw a black Tahoe idling in the driveway. He immediately went inside and called police."

http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021243552_janedoexml.html

From the timeline I compiled of her life, her is the last year, & some of the subsequent events. (Consider this a supplement to the timeline in the other thread.)

* April 24 2010 – Attends her first meeting with the TBW of Bonham & Fannin Counties
* May 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties
* June 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties, elected secretary
* August 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties
* September 18 2010 – JBR called police to report harassment by LEK When they arrive, LEK had bruises so he was charged for misdemeanor assault of LEK (Case CR10-0144JP2)
* October 12 2010 – Attends her last meeting with TBW of Bonham & Fannin Counties
* December 14 2010 – JBR files for divorce (Case FA10-39830)
* December 20 2010 – LEK served with divorce papers
* December 24, 2010 - Lori commits suicide in Longview, Texas
* January 3 2011 – Ruff family buries LEK http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Lori-Erica-Ruff-90422742
* January 2011 - Ruff family finds strongbox showing Lori was not who she claimed (Notes found in lockbox)
* March 3 2011 – “Affidavit of Heirship” filed making DJG & LR grantors, & LR grantee. Used to clear title of property for JBR to sell
* April 2011 – Assault charges against JBR dismissed

FWIW, when I did a search of the county records, I failed to find any court order against LEK. Which simply could mean I didn't look in the right place.

 

[llywrch]

Over the weekend, I reached out to a friend who is a lifelong resident of Longview. If anyone would talk about anything at all that they may know or have heard, it would be this guy. (We all have that one friend.) I sent him the Seattle Times article, and the Wikipedia link just for general info. After reading, he said that he's never heard of the Ruffs. He asked his wife, who is a real estate agent in Longview, and she doesn't know who they are, either. I was under the impression that the Ruff family was an affluent, well known family. Pillars of the community types. Am I incorrect????

When I lived in Leonard, the only newspaper for the area was the Fannin County Special, a weekly, and then a daily out of the town of Bonham, the next town north. Also, at that time, Leonard was a quiet farming community with just a couple of small gas stations, and a school, and Oklahoma was closer than Dallas was. Now, it's virtually a far suburb of North Dallas, and a rather upscale one at that, where people who work in the big city raise their families. Right at the end of the 90s, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice put 2 prisons in near a crossroads of 2 state highways in the sleepy town of Bonham, and brought life to the landscape in the way of jobs, stores, housing, etc. Before that, the area was really only known as being the home of Speaker of the House, Sam Rayburn.

Yes, the impression we all have was that the Ruffs were/are an affluent, well known family. If not in Longview, definitely in some part of East Texas. So no one has heard of this family in their home town?

This would suggest that we've all been part of an odd hoax. However, we know a congressman initiated the report -- we have the FOIA materials to verify that. And we know the house LEK live in with her husband child exists -- there are pictures of it in the thread "Sticky: Photos Only *NO DISCUSSION*".

Every time I think I know something definite & solid about this case, something is uncovered that leaves me wondering just how much is truth & how much is just rumor. :-(

 

[Gardener1850]

From the timeline I compiled of her life, her is the last year, & some of the subsequent events. (Consider this a supplement to the timeline in the other thread.)

* April 24 2010 – Attends her first meeting with the TBW of Bonham & Fannin Counties
* May 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties
* June 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties, elected secretary
* August 2010 – Attended meeting of Texas Business Woman of Bonham and Fannin Counties
* September 18 2010 – JBR called police to report harassment by LEK When they arrive, LEK had bruises so he was charged for misdemeanor assault of LEK (Case CR10-0144JP2)
* October 12 2010 – Attends her last meeting with TBW of Bonham & Fannin Counties
* December 14 2010 – JBR files for divorce (Case FA10-39830)
* December 20 2010 – LEK served with divorce papers
* December 24, 2010 - Lori commits suicide in Longview, Texas
* January 3 2011 – Ruff family buries LEK http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Lori-Erica-Ruff-90422742
* January 2011 - Ruff family finds strongbox showing Lori was not who she claimed (Notes found in lockbox)
* March 3 2011 – “Affidavit of Heirship” filed making DJG & LR grantors, & LR grantee. Used to clear title of property for JBR to sell
* April 2011 – Assault charges against JBR dismissed

FWIW, when I did a search of the county records, I failed to find any court order against LEK. Which simply could mean I didn't look in the right place.

Thanks, I was never clear on exactly when the divorce was enacted. So she committed suicide 4 days after she received the divorce papers. 10 days after JBR filed in court. That really puts things in perspective.