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

[Cymro]

It is my understanding that back then, with a birth certificate (like from someone who has died) you can call SS and get a card issued to you. I'm simplifying it of course.

I wonder if you claimed to be a home birth (like your parents were hippies) and not on records- how hard it would be to get a SSN when you are 18.

And would it be easier if you had, for instance, school attendance records in your own name? I know I've suggested the "abducted child with a fake ID" theory but I'm very much torn. I can't understand why someone would live under a fake ID for 22 years or more, half her adult life, if not running from the law ... but someone running from the law would probably get into more trouble along the way, which LEK apparently didn't do.

Obviously it can't be formal witness protection, because that would close down the SSI investigation right away. So that leaves either a very reformed criminal (maybe slightly too old to have just a juvenile record), someone who believed that whoever was out to get her had significant resources to track her down, or someone who had no idea that her ID was false. None of them makes sense to me though.

 

[CherBearSTL]

And would it be easier if you had, for instance, school attendance records in your own name? I know I've suggested the "abducted child with a fake ID" theory but I'm very much torn. I can't understand why someone would live under a fake ID for 22 years or more, half her adult life, if not running from the law ... but someone running from the law would probably get into more trouble along the way, which LEK apparently didn't do.

Obviously it can't be formal witness protection, because that would close down the SSI investigation right away. So that leaves either a very reformed criminal (maybe slightly too old to have just a juvenile record), someone who believed that whoever was out to get her had significant resources to track her down, or someone who had no idea that her ID was false. None of them makes sense to me though.

I have also been tossing around the idea that maybe she did something criminal, but no one knows it was her. Maybe her entire family died (possibly at her hands), and authorities believe she died as well. Maybe she was just mentally ill (explains the suicide) and thought she needed to get away. Maybe she got pregnant early on in life and ran away leaving her child/family behind.

Why would someone her age commit suicide? Maybe she thought someone was getting close to discovering she wasn't who she said she was? There are so many unanswered questions. The report on Namus leads me to believe that it's not her family that is pursuing this case...the authorities are. If her family was, there would probably be a lot more info available. How do we think they came to realize she wasn't who she said she was?

JMHO

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

 

[mikkismom]

Ever the optimist, I just imagined that she started a new life as an adult - you know - REALLY left the past (whatever that is) behind. Who of us, at eighteen, didn't want to 'direct our own life'. The name she used - LK would have been a fairly common name in that age group. So sad that because of this, the beautiful woman she became (LEKR) appears to be 'nobody'.

I think the reason that an investigation was triggered was probably as a result of applying for survivor benefits (she had a 2 year old).

JMVHO

Let's keep looking! She is SOMEBODY!

 

[CherBearSTL]

Ever the optimist, I just imagined that she started a new life as an adult - you know - REALLY left the past (whatever that is) behind. Who of us, at eighteen, didn't want to 'direct our own life'. The name she used - LK would have been a fairly common name in that age group. So sad that because of this, the beautiful woman she became (LEKR) appears to be 'nobody'.

I think the reason that an investigation was triggered was probably as a result of applying for survivor benefits (she had a 2 year old).

JMVHO

Let's keep looking! She is SOMEBODY!

I like your idea much better! I watch too much Dateline.

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

 

[deca]

I have also been tossing around the idea that maybe she did something criminal, but no one knows it was her. Maybe her entire family died (possibly at her hands), and authorities believe she died as well. Maybe she was just mentally ill (explains the suicide) and thought she needed to get away. Maybe she got pregnant early on in life and ran away leaving her child/family behind.

Why would someone her age commit suicide? Maybe she thought someone was getting close to discovering she wasn't who she said she was? There are so many unanswered questions. The report on Namus leads me to believe that it's not her family that is pursuing this case...the authorities are. If her family was, there would probably be a lot more info available. How do we think they came to realize she wasn't who she said she was?

JMHO

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

You should also add: what if her father/mother was a notorious criminal and she felt like she had to change her name to distance herself from them?

 

[reasypeasy]

I can't understand why someone would live under a fake ID for 22 years or more, half her adult life, if not running from the law ... but someone running from the law would probably get into more trouble along the way, which LEK apparently didn't do.

I think that once you'd lived an identity for a while, you'd become invested in it and the false ID itself would become more secure. You'd have friends, family, financial and business interests, educational qualifications, etc under that name. It would become very hard to go back to your old identity without confessing to having had a fake identity and dealing with any legal consequences of that. You wouldn't be able to just walk back into your old ID and keep everything you've accumulated under your new, without facing all sorts of investigations.

 

[deca]

Was it ever determined if the new identity was taken from a deceased individual in the "paper chase" manner or was it an entirely new identity?

 

[mayqueen]

I keep going back to the fact that she took her own life on Christmas Eve, when she had a two year old who I'm sure was very much looking forward to Christmas the next day. That to me speaks of some serious inner turmoil (and I say that as someone who has struggled with suicidal thoughts). Whether that turmoil was related to her false identity, or to something else, we may never know.

I wonder where she died (at home? a hotel? somewhere else?), and who found her. I wonder if she and her husband were separated, or having problems. Or if this seemingly came out of the blue.

 

[deca]

I am sure if the husband/friends spoke up, we could solve this. They have every right to keep silent about what they know- but I am sure that over the years they spent with her, certain details were revealed that could make this easier. For all we know, she could have told someone the whole story.

If she took someone's identity in the late 80's (IIRC) then she would have been passing through victim's area to get the records or even have known victim. Prior to the mid 90's states didn't share info- so it would be easy to obtain a birth certificate from a hospital with a little info from a newspaper clipping, leave the state and get a ssn. Knowing an area she passed through or even lived in would help.

I looked it up last night, and to get a ssn you need 3 things either a passport or a birth certificate to prove citizenship. A document to prove identity an a document to prove age. It sounds like school information can be used for identity/age (not preferred method but accepted). I am assuming those can be easily forged or obtained.

If you are simply requesting a replacement SSN- stealing someone else's SSN and full identity that can be a lot easier. All you need is birth certificate (see how to get these above) or passport (apparently these could be forged at the time) and proof of identity like a school card or driver's license.

This last method is more dangerous. Obviously, you would be using a ssn that might already be used if that other person is working. I imagine that back in the day it would be easier to slip the same SSN into the system, but with modern technology impossible. I tried to file my taxes the other day and within 24 hours they told me I had my daughter's SSN wrong.

Is it possible her identity started to unravel and she thought everyone would find out her secret and thought killing herself would be an option?

MOO

 

[theforgotten]

Ever the optimist, I just imagined that she started a new life as an adult - you know - REALLY left the past (whatever that is) behind. Who of us, at eighteen, didn't want to 'direct our own life'. The name she used - LK would have been a fairly common name in that age group. So sad that because of this, the beautiful woman she became (LEKR) appears to be 'nobody'.!

You did a very good job of putting into words what I was thinking. I wonder if maybe she came from an awful family background. Maybe there was abuse of some kind and she just ran away. Maybe she didn't want them to find her.So she started over.

The committing suicide is weird, but we don't have any other information on her. It could be that her suicide didn't have anything to do with her past.Maybe her marriage was bad or maybe she suffered from depression. I really wish we had more info!

 

[mikkismom]

One think I have considered is that K might be ANOTHER married name. Because she was married at 35, she could have been previously married. SS# was obtained in 1988 (per another poster). Do we know that K was the name when it was issued?

Just looking at all options.

JMO

 

[theforgotten]

Ever the optimist, I just imagined that she started a new life as an adult - you know - REALLY left the past (whatever that is) behind. Who of us, at eighteen, didn't want to 'direct our own life'. The name she used - LK would have been a fairly common name in that age group!

Sorry, I'm a little confused. Are we calling her "LK" now instead of "LR"? I must have missed something.

 

[mayqueen]

Sorry, I'm a little confused. Are we calling her "LK" now instead of "LR"? I must have missed something.

LK was the name she used before she married and became LR. Public records searches show a LEK with the same birthdate as LER living in the Dallas / Ft. Worth area in the late 80s / early 90s.

I was assuming that K was her "maiden" name, but mikkismom raises a valid question - could K have been a married name from a first marriage?

 

[mayqueen]

According to this site, LEK married JBR on 1/5/2004.

I can't find any Texas divorce records for LEK prior to her 2004 marriage to JBR.

 

[Ambercat]

According to this site, LEK married JBR on 1/5/2004.

I can't find any Texas divorce records for LEK prior to her 2004 marriage to JBR.

Its my understanding from her obituary that she used to live in Arizona (Scottsdale) prior to living in Texas. She could have divorced there.

 

[Sulamith]

Of course I will never know but I am so curious as to how the SSA determined LR was living under an assumed identity. What if the SSA is incorrect? What if LR was really LR?

Here are some reasons I question the SSA and also Law Enforcement:
My husband was issued three different SS cards before the SSA settled on just one.
In the 1980's we found out that another man with the same first, middle and last name of my husband and same birth date of my husband had the same SS# of my husband. Stolen identity, or just a case of the SSA messing up? We found out because the IRS was going to attach my husband's wages for past debts to the IRS that this other man owed. We had to get a California Congressman to intervene. It was a mess dealing with the IRS. We thought that was the end of that!
My husband was stationed in Germany with the US Army. (Still in the 1980's) He got a summons to appear in court for some violation that he never committed, again, somebody with his full name, and my address in the states. I had to go to court on my husband's behalf and explain to the judge that my husband was in Germany and I did not know who this other guy was and I did not know why the summons was coming to my house. I just told the judge that the court had the wrong person and case dismissed. This also happened in the 1980's.

When my husband got out of the Army and we were buying a house we found out that this other guy's bad credit was merged with ours! This was in 1989. We had to get that all straightened out, thank goodness I had kept all the earlier correspondence from our Calif. Congressman.
Fast forward to 2005. We move to Texas. Husband gets pulled over for speeding in Dallas. Cops check their car computer and determine that my husband is a wanted man! Dallas cops cuff him and are ready to take him off to jail. My husband insists that they check their records better and they do and wow, yes they did have the wrong person. My husband is white. The real perp is a black man with tats. Good thing Dallas cops called their home office for more info on who they need to arrest. Looks like Dallas cops arrest on name only basis.
A few months later, my husband applies for a job overseas. The company runs a background check. Gosh darn it, here is that other guy(with his long rap sheet) merged with my husband's record. Anyway, my husband has to go to the local cops and Austin so the authorities can photograph my husband to prove his is white, not black and has no tattoos and get fingerprinted. It all gets straightened out and my husband gets the job overseas. We have to keep this other guy's pic and rap sheet in our possession in case he ever pops up again.
I was trying to keep my story short, but looks like I did not succeed.
But given my experience with the SSA I am not sure I would trust them.

 

[CherBearSTL]

Of course I will never know but I am so curious as to how the SSA determined LR was living under an assumed identity. What if the SSA is incorrect? What if LR was really LR?

Here are some reasons I question the SSA and also Law Enforcement:
My husband was issued three different SS cards before the SSA settled on just one.
In the 1980's we found out that another man with the same first, middle and last name of my husband and same birth date of my husband had the same SS# of my husband. Stolen identity, or just a case of the SSA messing up? We found out because the IRS was going to attach my husband's wages for past debts to the IRS that this other man owed. We had to get a California Congressman to intervene. It was a mess dealing with the IRS. We thought that was the end of that!
My husband was stationed in Germany with the US Army. (Still in the 1980's) He got a summons to appear in court for some violation that he never committed, again, somebody with his full name, and my address in the states. I had to go to court on my husband's behalf and explain to the judge that my husband was in Germany and I did not know who this other guy was and I did not know why the summons was coming to my house. I just told the judge that the court had the wrong person and case dismissed. This also happened in the 1980's.

When my husband got out of the Army and we were buying a house we found out that this other guy's bad credit was merged with ours! This was in 1989. We had to get that all straightened out, thank goodness I had kept all the earlier correspondence from our Calif. Congressman.
Fast forward to 2005. We move to Texas. Husband gets pulled over for speeding in Dallas. Cops check their car computer and determine that my husband is a wanted man! Dallas cops cuff him and are ready to take him off to jail. My husband insists that they check their records better and they do and wow, yes they did have the wrong person. My husband is white. The real perp is a black man with tats. Good thing Dallas cops called their home office for more info on who they need to arrest. Looks like Dallas cops arrest on name only basis.
A few months later, my husband applies for a job overseas. The company runs a background check. Gosh darn it, here is that other guy(with his long rap sheet) merged with my husband's record. Anyway, my husband has to go to the local cops and Austin so the authorities can photograph my husband to prove his is white, not black and has no tattoos and get fingerprinted. It all gets straightened out and my husband gets the job overseas. We have to keep this other guy's pic and rap sheet in our possession in case he ever pops up again.
I was trying to keep my story short, but looks like I did not succeed.
But given my experience with the SSA I am not sure I would trust them.

The only reason that I don't think that this is the case here is because she has NO family listed in her obit. It was all his family. I think she had hidden her past from everyone. I feel that she was intentionally trying to hide her real identity. JMHO

Sent from my myTouch_4G_Slide using Tapatalk 2

 

[annemc2]

Whoa, Sulamith - that is crazy! My husband got letters for awhile regarding a man with the same name and same occupation (this guy was in some trouble with the board for some...indiscretions) and it was quite a mess. I cannot imagine how awful your situation must have been (and sounds like it still could be!).

The really odd thing about LEKR is that, in every "Peoplefinder" type search, her only relatives listed are through her marriage to JBR. Her obituary lists no family other than that of JBR, either. In fact, this is the main thing that led mikkismom to zero in on this woman was the omissions from her obituary.

It's hard to find any information on her from before her marriage to JBR, too. It's like a backwards POOF - all of a sudden she exists as LEKR!

 

[PHB]

I can't imagine keeping something like a fake identity from my spouse for so long. Is it possible the husband has filled in LE, and they aren't pursuing it because of what he told them? Like he told them she was hiding from a psycho ex and gave them her real info, they investigated and found it to be legit, but the psycho ex is still alive and might be a threat to her child?

 

[theforgotten]

I can't imagine keeping something like a fake identity from my spouse for so long. Is it possible the husband has filled in LE, and they aren't pursuing it because of what he told them? Like he told them she was hiding from a psycho ex and gave them her real info, they investigated and found it to be legit, but the psycho ex is still alive and might be a threat to her child?

I think the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General is investigating this. It's probably not a high priority for them. I just don't know about the whole psycho ex theory. I kind of think the husband doesn't know much, if he didn't list any family in the obit. I wonder if this is kind of an embarrassment for her husbands family.