TX - Longview, WhtFem (UP 9863), 41-50, Suicide - Assumed Identity, Dec'10

[neesaki]

I'm wondering if the boob job wasn't purely a matter of size. I searched images of pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum, 2 chest deformities related to Marfans. If LEK had that issue I can see why she would want boob job.

Idk, maybe if she had chosen just average size implants instead of overly large ones. She looks quite uncomfortably top heavy in the photo with the white t-shirt on. :moo:

 

[FiveFelines]

What I find interesting is her GED marks. Her average was a squeaker of a 57%, with a good chunk of that in Social Studies. Then she declares bankruptcy WHILE attending Business school. Then, upon graduation, her career involves sketchy marketing schemes, temp positions, and self-made opportunities. It is as though she struggled to float at much of what she involved herself in. I can totally relate on an ADHD level. I am brilliant and tenacious at what I do as long as I am interested in it. I wonder if one or both of her parents also had ADHD and if LEK's survival/coping strategies were as a result of this.

As well, she seemed to be able to afford all the travelling and resources needed to change her identity in the late 80's. Assuming that she did use an identity broker, his/her fees likely did not come so cheap that a young transient woman could afford such.

Is it possible that her father scammed people and created a fraudulent nest egg that LEK herself made away with and left them....or maybe she accessed it in his death? At approx. 20-30 years of age, aside from her identity assumption (which I am convinced that she did not do alone) . . . she does not appear to be the brightest crayon in the box. :banghead:

To me, she seems like someone who had street smarts but was not "book smart". Maybe it's because I'm a writer/editor, but I found her business website to be fairly unprofessional. I know I'm nitpicking, but there were misspellings and small errors that you don't see on most legit business sites. Not that this makes her dumb, just less polished.

I still don't understand how she made $ from her business. Did these companies pay her to recruit mystery shoppers and people for focus groups?

 

[neesaki]

Magnum P.E. - I find the Longview paper's silence especially curious. I subscribe and am quite tempted to point them to it and ask if there is any intent to cover it.

It is curious, but then again I imagine that the Ruff's have enough connections to keep it out of the local news. jmo

 

[FiveFelines]

Somewhat OT and totally hypothesizing, but I'm currently reading a novel where the protagonist is a successful madam (who changed her name and identity when she was younger!). She has four different "cover" home businesses to hide her true profession from the IRS and LE. She even goes to local networking meetings and such. I realize this is fiction, but it got me thinking about LEK and her mystery shopping business...

 

[ClaireNC]

I have found the Seattle Times article online worldwide, it has even been translated into Malay and Croatian. The story has been run everywhere except the Longview newspaper, which is strangely silent on the subject.
Has there been ANY local coverage? I can only find LEK's obit.

If it was carried in Dallas and Boise papers, comments might be especially interesting and useful.

The Dallas and other local papers probably won't cover it out of "respect" for the family. I did submit the story to the Dallas area newspapers through their websites.

The Idaho Statesman ran the article on June 30. There are not many comments.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/30/2637321/she-stole-an-identity-and-took.html

I'd also like to see the LA Times pick up the article.

 

[HerStory]

Look at the second entry here...

http://web1.lovinghonors.com/cgi-bin/CompanyInternal?stdout+128+musterfuneralhomes.com+102+18+2073

Is it possible that our red herring is the north west connection? Maybe LEK has original connections in Florida? Isn't it odd that "Mama Ruby" died in Scottsdale, where LEK's obit claims where she was born?

My hunches....

- LEK's affinity for Cuban food may originate from living in Florida.

- If I wasn't too bright and I was trying to go 'stelth', then I would go in the polar opposite dirrection of where I am associated with, to start over. ie. If I lived in Alaska, I would relocate to Florida. LEK likely went to either Washington or California.

 

[reasypeasy]

As well, she seemed to be able to afford all the travelling and resources needed to change her identity in the late 80's. Assuming that she did use an identity broker, his/her fees likely did not come so cheap that a young transient woman could afford such.:

That's why I like Laurie Renee Lucas http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lucas_laurie.html as a possible match. Aurora (where Renee disappeared from) to Boulder (where the PO box was) is 41 minutes by car, and maybe a couple of hours by bus. Totally do-able on budget that is a bit short on money and where absences must be explained. And her ex said that when she disappeared it was with a guy taking her to Texas. Renee's ex was a murderer of course, but that could point just as much to her being scared and wanting to get out forever as it might point to her being killed.

 

[AstroKitty]

While I think it's sorta odd that the local paper won't run the story - I do understand it. She has a daughter that's probably still in the area. She's school age and peers (and their parents) can be rough on you if you're a bit different. I'm sure there's a layered reasoning behind why they do not want to run the story locally.

In the 90's I answered an add for mystery shopping. Like someone else above me brought up: you had to buy all the products yourself and then write the review. I was broke at the time and didn't do more than read about it. I seem to recall that there was a fee when you signed up, and it was for materials and things. Doesn't feel like it could be too lucrative as a recruiter but again, I don't know.

I'll tell you all what. I'll answer an ad today for Mystery shoppers and report back the information that is given to me.

 

[HerStory]

While I think it's sorta odd that the local paper won't run the story - I do understand it. She has a daughter that's probably still in the area. She's school age and peers (and their parents) can be rough on you if you're a bit different. I'm sure there's a layered reasoning behind why they do not want to run the story locally.

In the 90's I answered an add for mystery shopping. Like someone else above me brought up: you had to buy all the products yourself and then write the review. I was broke at the time and didn't do more than read about it. I seem to recall that there was a fee when you signed up, and it was for materials and things. Doesn't feel like it could be too lucrative as a recruiter but again, I don't know.

I'll tell you all what. I'll answer an ad today for Mystery shoppers and report back the information that is given to me.

And let us know if you turn a profit too!:floorlaugh:

 

[FiveFelines]

That's why I like Laurie Renee Lucas http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/l/lucas_laurie.html as a possible match. Aurora (where Renee disappeared from) to Boulder (where the PO box was) is 41 minutes by car, and maybe a couple of hours by bus. Totally do-able on budget that is a bit short on money and where absences must be explained. And her ex said that when she disappeared it was with a guy taking her to Texas. Renee's ex was a murderer of course, but that could point just as much to her being scared and wanting to get out forever as it might point to her being killed.

Two things on this MP (who does resemble her): The PO box was in Boulder City, NV, not Boulder, CO. Also. This says she was last seen in 1990; LEK had her new identity by mid-1988.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Given the mailbox location, I think she was likely stripping or being pimped in Vegas at the time she set about changing her identification. If you look on a map, Tucson is down 93 to 10. Tucson was mentioned in her notes. May have learned the identity tricks in Vegas and learned Idaho was an easy place to go to get an I.d. Many runaways end up in Vegas don't they? Just thinking.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

I don't pay attention to whether a missing person date is a little off. That may be when they were reported missing and not really when they went missing. Does anyone know?

 

[Owutatangledweb]

Could she have been running from one of these guys, given her interest in modeling. I know police released headshots taken by Bradford. Don't know hoe to find those to see off she's pictured.

William Richard Bradford - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rodney Alcala - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Ngaio]

I'm new here and I didn't read everything, so I don't know if you've seen this.

Clerk's certificate -> http://oi39.tinypic.com/2wg94z9.jpg

Free application for Federal Student Aid -> http://oi42.tinypic.com/2mi2902.jpg

Po Box 810
Euless , TX 76039
Awakening Church Ministries

Edit: 817-355-0747 is Harston Woods Mobile Homes - Dealers http://m.bizdirlib.com/node/1109754 http://www.harstonwoods.com/

 

[Perodicticus potto]

I had this same thought when I first started following this case and learned what her business was. The reason being, that I tried this mystery shopping thing years ago, and what a total waste of my time. Paid nothing to speak of, and they didn't even pay for the item I purchased at the store. All I got out of a review of a movie theater, was the tickets to the movie. That's it.

I've done a couple of mystery shopping assignments in the past few months. Once I got a free eye test (which I was overdue for anyway) and £10 compensation. Another time I got a free six-inch sandwich from Subway and £3.75 compensation. However, the time required to write up and submit the reports meant my reimbursement worked out to less than minimum wage. It's OK for freebies and the occasional bit of extra cash, but would be very surprised if anyone managed to make a living from it.

 

[ClaireNC]

Welcome Ngaio! Great first post! Now how did you manage to find those?

 

[HerStory]

I'm new here and I didn't read everything, so I don't know if you've seen this.

Clerk's certificate -> http://oi39.tinypic.com/2wg94z9.jpg

Free application for Federal Student Aid -> http://oi42.tinypic.com/2mi2902.jpg

Po Box 810
Euless , TX 76039
Awakening Church Ministries

Edit: 817-355-0747 is Harston Woods Mobile Homes - Dealers http://m.bizdirlib.com/node/1109754 http://www.harstonwoods.com/

High Five!
Where did you find those?

 

[reasypeasy]

I've done a couple of mystery shopping assignments in the past few months. Once I got a free eye test (which I was overdue for anyway) and £10 compensation. Another time I got a free six-inch sandwich from Subway and £3.75 compensation. However, the time required to write up and submit the reports meant my reimbursement worked out to less than minimum wage. It's OK for freebies and the occasional bit of extra cash, but would be very surprised if anyone managed to make a living from it.

Mystery shopping would be a pretty good deal for a person who lived with someone who paid all their expenses. Husband or boyfriend pays for the purchase, Lori pockets the reimbursement and the pay?

 

[AngelaE8654]

Magnum P.E. - I find the Longview paper's silence especially curious. I subscribe and am quite tempted to point them to it and ask if there is any intent to cover it.

It's probably for two reasons:

1. To spare the Ruffs any more grief, and

2. She probably didn't originally come from Longview. We all knew she was Lori Kennedy and then Lori Ruff. The folks in Longview most likely only knew her AFTER the identity "swap".

 

[reasypeasy]

I'm new here and I didn't read everything, so I don't know if you've seen this.

Clerk's certificate -> http://oi39.tinypic.com/2wg94z9.jpg

Free application for Federal Student Aid -> http://oi42.tinypic.com/2mi2902.jpg

Po Box 810
Euless , TX 76039
Awakening Church Ministries

Edit: 817-355-0747 is Harston Woods Mobile Homes - Dealers http://m.bizdirlib.com/node/1109754 http://www.harstonwoods.com/

She said her father completed highschool but she doesn't know what schooling her mother completed? That's... odd. I mean if you were trying to be generic and avoid further questions that is not the answer you would give! It says too much.