Lori Ruff Identified as Kimberly McLean of PA

[mohagan]

Enjoyed reading the book too, thankyou Maureen. The extra pieces of information seem to fill in the puzzle of her life. One was her first (bio fathers) struggles, seems to suggest there was some mental health issues early on which affected her. One very interesting part was about the money left to her, I think 99% of people would have claimed, easy to do through a lawyer, (as they say where’s there a will there’s a relative!) I can’t help wondering now that she had a extreme paranoia, will never know though. I believe the book will be a good resource for her daughter in the future, it would have been torturous to never know who your mother really was.

Thanks for reading! I found the details very interesting, too.
I do hope that Blake and his daughter are doing well and that they find some answers here.

 

[mohagan]

Thank you for sharing! After all the time following the threads, it's nice to have things laid out so neatly.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Owutatangledweb]

One would think that as Kimberley's heirs, Blake and the daughter could come forward and claim her unclaimed funds. The daughter for sure. Blake; I don't know. Was their marriage legal if she was under a false identify?

 

[StarrChance]

My final question is, did anyone ever establish whether Spring/summer1988 was legit or to fi

I would like to re read those posts, but can’t seem to find the membership, if someone would reference a post of Spring/summer 1988 it would be much appreciated.

 

[bears10]

I would like to re read those posts, but can’t seem to find the membership, if someone would reference a post of Spring/summer 1988 it would be much appreciated.

The posts start here. You can click their username to browse their specific posts.

TX - 'Lori Ruff', Longview, WhtFem UP9863, *General Discussion and Theories* #2

 

[llywrch]

Hey everyone! Just finished reading Maureen O'Hagan's book for the second time, & found it a very revealing -- & well-written reading. Its strength is that Maureen was able to talk to many people who knew LEK, which filled in some of the blanks we all wondered about. I remember how we'd encountered people who had known her in person -- Spring/Summer 1988 wasn't the only person to ever say they knew her in life -- & wonder if our curiosity to know something about who she was intimidated them. (However a single, skilled interviewer might be able to avoid this.) There's a scene early on when one of LEK's few friends visited her apartment & it is described; that scene reminded me of one of my posts here admitting that I had problems envisioning what LEK did with her evenings after she arrived home.

There is some information left out of the book, but much of it can be found by browsing thru past posts in this forum, & the interviews more than outweigh the absence of that stuff -- does anyone really care about how LEK dealt with her only known speeding ticket? But one question does nag at me: how did Joe Velling ever learn of the mail drop in Nevada? Was it mentioned in one of the papers found in her house after LEK's death? Or did Velling com across it while he was looking into her work history?

I admit that's not a critical piece of information in any way, but it is a loose thread I'd like to see tied up. (As if there weren't enough questions that are & will remain unanswered about LEK.)

 

[justathought]

Thank you Maureen for writing the book. I follow cases but don't post much. This one was such a puzzler. There's obviously still more as to the "why" but Lori exhibited so much resourcefulness to survive at such a young age, it makes all the sadder what happened to her in the end. I read on my Kindle and need to reread...still curious about some of the strong box clues we puzzled over for so many months.

 

[llywrch]

Slightly off-topic, but one feature I noticed with the book is that it reported sections that other people had underlined. I was surprised the second time I read this book to find sentences underlined, as if it was a hypertext link, & when I clicked on the underlined passage be told "3 [or more] people have underlined these words". This makes the book a social document!

As a test, I underlined a passage of my own & added some text to it. I'm curious if anyone can read that.

 

[velvetmonologue]

Can’t wait to read it! Glad you shared. <3

 

[Roselvr]

Hi Websleuths, I wanted to let you all know that I've written an ebook on the Lori Ruff/Kim McLean case called The Woman in the Strongbox. And Websleuths are featured!

amazon.com/missing

It's a fast read but covers a lot of ground, as I traced her history from Pennsylvania to Texas. I think it answers a lot of questions. I know you all were very interested in this case, and your interest kept the story in the public mind for years.
Since the case is closed, I'm sure you've all moved onto other more pressing cases, but if you want more of the story, you can find it in the link.
The book is free for Amazon Prime members. You can read it on a Kindle or on a computer or phone using the Kindle Cloud Reader.
Thanks for your interest. You're doing great work here.
Maureen

I have not read it yet. My hub has prime, have to grab his log in.

I want to say thanks for writing it and joining here to tell us about it. I also want to say thanks so much for the articles you did when we didn't know who she was and how you answered questions there.

 

[ClaireNC]

Really loved the ebook, Maureen! My heart has been aching for Lori since I read it (twice so far.). She was a remarkable young woman. The strength and courage it took to do what she did is pretty amazing. I wish she had gotten the help she needed at the end. She deserved to live a long happy life. I hope her daughter realizes what a remarkable person her Mom was.

 

[sunnynz]

The drop box was the address that the notice about her inheritance from her father was sent to. Velling got it from court documents. She might have used that address to forward mail to when she first moved west.

So what name was the drop box in then? Must have been Kimberly if it was where the info re her dad was sent. If so how did Vellung know about it since he wouldn’t have known about the Kimberly name? Or am I misunderstanding the scenario?

 

[ClaireNC]

So what name was the drop box in then? Must have been Kimberly if it was where the info re her dad was sent. If so how did Vellung know about it since he wouldn’t have known about the Kimberly name? Or am I misunderstanding the scenario?

My brain is old. I forgot that we knew about the Dropbox before her identity was known. Duh... So my comment makes no sense! I asked a mod to delete it.

 

[Owutatangledweb]

So what name was the drop box in then? Must have been Kimberly if it was where the info re her dad was sent. If so how did Vellung know about it since he wouldn’t have known about the Kimberly name? Or am I misunderstanding the scenario?

No. You are rightly confused. Velling couldn't have known that. I believe the birth certificate she requested for Becky Turner was mailed there. At least, that's what I always believed. Also, she was in Utah when the inheritance papers were sent. But she could've used it then too I suppose.

 

[sunnynz]

My brain is old. I forgot that we knew about the Dropbox before her identity was known. Duh... So my comment makes no sense! I asked a mod to delete it.

No that’s all good, I’m just pleased I’m not losing my mind totally

 

[jslk]

Hi Websleuths, I wanted to let you all know that I've written an ebook on the Lori Ruff/Kim McLean case called The Woman in the Strongbox. And Websleuths are featured!

amazon.com/missing

It's a fast read but covers a lot of ground, as I traced her history from Pennsylvania to Texas. I think it answers a lot of questions. I know you all were very interested in this case, and your interest kept the story in the public mind for years.
Since the case is closed, I'm sure you've all moved onto other more pressing cases, but if you want more of the story, you can find it in the link.
The book is free for Amazon Prime members. You can read it on a Kindle or on a computer or phone using the Kindle Cloud Reader.
Thanks for your interest. You're doing great work here.
Maureen

Thank you Maureen - I really enjoyed the book. I wish Lori could have foundand utilised the support she needed during her life.

 

[fred&edna]

I'm listening to the audiobook now. I find myself smiling, frowning, reflecting... fully enjoying.

 

[ClazzyGalxo]

I just heard about this case for the first time. I’m trying to find her suicide notes. I would like to read them knowing she’s actually Kimberly McLean not that she was identified. Does anyone have any good links to videos or pages you can please share where I can read the letter(s) in full?

 

[Laughing]

I just heard about this case for the first time. I’m trying to find her suicide notes. I would like to read them knowing she’s actually Kimberly McLean not that she was identified. Does anyone have any good links to videos or pages you can please share where I can read the letter(s) in full?

iirc, the notes were not released by LE or the family.

Be very gentle, this woman's death left a child without her mother.

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

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...

www.websleuths.com

Lori Ruff Identified as Kimberly McLean of PA

The Seattle Times in 2013 published a real-life mystery story about Lori Ruff, who died in 2010, leaving a husband and child in Texas. Years earlier, she had stolen another person’s identity. Who was she really? Finally, we have an answer. By Maureen O'Hagan Originally published September...

www.websleuths.com

 

[Ray_of_hope]

Wow, just ordered the e book for Kindle. Am going to start reading tonight. Such a sad case.