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

[Roselvr]

The strip club may have a FB page

 

[Faithandhope]

I had a wild thought about this case and I really hate to even post it, but I will, just because it seems there have been no breaks in this case or new info.

I really and truly mean no offense by this either, again just a wild idea.

Is it possible she was a transgender (formerly male)? It could explain the need for a new identity and why at 18 (legal adulthood), she'd have made the transition. It would also explain why she would not want anyone knowing about her true identity or past, also why she'd have gotten Breast implants. She was also known to have larger hands and to be pretty tall. I know she had a daughter, but that there was some trouble conceiving. Any chance they used a surrogate?

I don't actually believe this, but just trying to think outside the box.


Again, I can't say enough that this idea isn't meant to offend anyone.

 

[docbh]

The TG theory has been brought up before and thoroughly dismissed because, well, she had a biological child with her husband, and there's simply no other evidence to support it.

 

[Sherwood Park]

The TG theory has been brought up before and thoroughly dismissed because, well, she had a biological child with her husband, and there's simply no other evidence to support it.

And the investigator was given medical information about her (including DNA). If she had once been a man I am sure they would have mentioned this important fact so that people would be searching for a man, not a woman. But of course Faithandhope, it is good to have considered a variety of alternatives and scenarios.

 

[docbh]

Yes, I was drawing a blank last night on the rest of the evidence, but the DNA is the most convincing of all. Also one would expect even if the Ruffs didn't want to reveal such a secret, the earlier boyfriend who dished on her past would've had no such qualms.

 

[effluent]

I think I've read most of this forum and don't think I've seen this (other than the having money to start off part)- So, she must have had a nice chunk of money at the start of this to travel and get settled in DFW (rent, deposits, furniture, clothes, food, etc.). It is possible that right before she took off to get that Idaho ID, she had a job somewhere with access to the safe/night deposit, something like that. She could have taken the money and taken off. She looks so joyous in that Idaho ID photo, which makes sense since she then feels she got away with it. If so that is something that would have been reported in the newspaper with her real name(or previous alias...) as the main suspect. If something like this happened then someone might find a name and photo of her in a mid-'88 newspaper in a city she's suspected of being from.

There are flaws with this theory, like it seems she'd be in a missing person database or be wanted by LE if the above scenario is true..but maybe worth a shot. Seems like we're kind of at a dead end for now.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

It is entirely possible she ripped off a drug dealer to come into a large, life-changing sum of cash- and then skipped town as fast as possible to start a new life. (I've heard of it being done.) Coke and heroin are popular drugs in the PacNW (where most suspect she is from..) She might have also assisted someone in killing a dealer to steal everything in the dealer's operation AND then disappeared as agreed-upon with her partner in the crime. This would explain her extreme fear of having her past uncovered- such a stunt would ruin her whole established life if ever revealed, AND expose her and her new family to retribution and ruin.

I truly feel we all have to look closer to the Pacific NW to find solid leads. Also (no offense anyone) her looks are very typical of the Scots-Irish type Caucasians that originally settled in that region. the first time I went to Washington State I was shocked by how tall and fine most of the men were! Tall, fair and handsome. I would bet you her family of origin is from there.

 

[Faithandhope]

didn't know it had been brought up before, but glad to see it was thought of and ruled out.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

Oh, before I completely forget- a possible reason that no one has come forward to ID FLEK is- IF she left her area of birth for a bad reason (like drug trafficking related activity or theft) her relatives and friends may have had unwanted visits from people seeking to find FLEK. They may have been so frightened by this they told everyone that she was unreachable or dead (thus shielding the rest of her family from possible repercussions of anything bad she might have been involved in.)

It sounds as if her life was filled with panic and fear in the weeks leading up to her suicide- that makes me wonder, what could be so bad that a woman who apparently lived independently for many years could be so frightened of becoming a single mother? I am certain the Ruffs have more info that could break the case but they have either already given it to the FBI or they are sitting on it in the hopes that this will all fade away. I have noticed rich oil money families don't deal well with public embarrassments.

 

[effluent]

Yeah the drug angle might be even more likely than what I brought up. If it was someone on lam from the law her real identity would have probably turned up. I just hadn't heard my specific theory before on here...and regardless of likelihood, if it DID happen, it would be possible to find out who she is. Unfortunately with most of the things looked into, we have only been able to go so far with them. I do wonder if the Ruffs did find out on their own. I see no reason they'd want to publicize it if they did. It's hard to imagine they didn't hire PI's or something to try and figure it out.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

If the Ruffs *DO* know something that is not good at all...I cannot blame them for sitting on the info. Why expose the child of Blake and FLEK to ridicule, shame and possibly even physical harm?

The other thing that makes me think of a criminal issue in FLEK's past is her letter to her daughter- I've noticed that many criminals and sociopaths seem to save up all "good" they have in them for their kids. In my opinion it's both because having a child is a sort of selfish act- it's making a duplicate of one's self...AND not all sociopaths are totally beyond having a small bit of caring for *something*...FLEK's caring and love for her daughter might have been the only normal/unsullied thing in her life.

 

[Linda9681]

Unless she got free travel( flight attendant )


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[docbh]

When did they start fingerprinting flight attendants? I recollect we had ruled that unlikely based on a lack of her fingerprints finding a match.

I'm still a fan of the FLDS Lebaron theory.

 

[LucyOso]

When did they start fingerprinting flight attendants? I recollect we had ruled that unlikely based on a lack of her fingerprints finding a match.

I'm still a fan of the FLDS Lebaron theory.

That is a good point. Flight attendants...IMOO most people who exit from FLDS situations typically have little to no "real world skills". They are very sheltered, taught a very, very limited and skewed version of the world, have limited educations, and often do not find a lot of success when thrust out into society. It takes years and years to get them acclimated to the "outside world". I find it hard to believe she would be capable of pulling off an identity theft, going to school, etc. because she would have no reference to that type of situation. IMOO

 

[Linda9681]

Hmm, look at the lebaron children. Some have TV careers! They have street smarts and survival skills....


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[docbh]

I think you have to read all about the Lebarons to really understand they were different in some ways to the common preconceptions we have about FLDS groups now. They were involved in a variety of criminal enterprises, and there is considerable geographic overlap with some of what we know of FLEK, including Dallas. Furthermore some aspects of her story do seem as if she was escaping from a sheltered life or otherwise had difficulty coping with the real world... Just MOO.

I will also say in doing some searching on social media, I have found some people who look very similar to FLEK that have surname connection or other connections to these families, but as they're just innocent bystanders I can't violate tos and link them, still if you look they're not hard to find.

 

[docbh]

One might say FLEK never fully acclimated to the outside world and that's why she killed herself. She seemed to be going down a descending path of mental illness, but I always wondered if someone from her past found her or contacted her and pushed her over the edge. Then again it could have just been irrational paranoia...

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

I will mention that the condition she left her house in at the time she committed suicide is similar to what I saw happen to a victim of severe mental illness (the mess, the filth, the scribbles everywhere.)

Whether someone from "the past" contacted her is a good question. However, with her nose job, different name and new location...how would someone have been able to find her?

 

[mjak]

Ever since I first read the article on Lori Erica Ruff I was convinced I new her. In my head I have been certain I have seen her in a candy striper uniform. I never shared this until recently on the facebook site because I could never attach that vision to anything factual in my memory or online. As I am a fairly concrete person I did not wish to post my unsubstantiated vision. However, it has driven me nuts. Well I finally found my vision and we can all stop looking because I found Lori Erica Ruff. Here she is a Candy Striper character form the Cherry Ames childrens book series! 20+ years working in a library and I can no longer distingush really memories from book illustrations. So I thought I would give you all a good laugh I solved the mystery
http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Ames-Staff-Nurse-Book/dp/0826104274

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

Ever since I first read the article on Lori Erica Ruff I was convinced I new her. In my head I have been certain I have seen her in a candy striper uniform. I never shared this until recently on the facebook site because I could never attach that vision to anything factual in my memory or online. As I am a fairly concrete person I did not wish to post my unsubstantiated vision. However, it has driven me nuts. Well I finally found my vision and we can all stop looking because I found Lori Erica Ruff. Here she is a Candy Striper character form the Cherry Ames childrens book series! 20+ years working in a library and I can no longer distingush really memories from book illustrations. So I thought I would give you all a good laugh I solved the mystery
http://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Ames-Staff-Nurse-Book/dp/0826104274

This was a welcome laugh.

The more I think of it though, I am sure the answer lays in the Pacific North West. Edit to add- my boyfriend helpfully pointed out that "Becky Sue Turner"'s hair looks super terrible in her Idaho DL picture- that fact might indicate she was confident her total plan to switch IDs to Lori Kennedy was going to work- I mean, why waste time on hairstyling and makeup when one knows that a DL pic will be of no use in the near future?

Her hair looks a bit better in the pink and black sweater pic, it looks like a variation of the "Hair Bear Poof" that was popular in the late 80s and early 90s. These things point to either someone who didn't care much about hairstyling (like a cult member) or someone who was used to rushing through things.

Also the fact that she had to get a GED is telling-obviously her teenage years were disrupted. The average teen in America of that era could count on a cozy high school existence...she either had a broken home or came from somewhere where high school was not considered essential.