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

[FrankieB]

Can you post a link to the FB Q&A? I'm extremely glad the daughter has a new set of relatives. The story is rather anticlimatic though. Hear me out, not that I was expecting an outrageous or horrible story. But her reason for running away forever is as someone pointed out, petty. I get the feeling this is far from the whole picture

 

[MrsMole]

A thought... what if it at some point Lori did regret her decision? Maybe she had done research, contacted lawyers about what would happen if she went back to being Kimberly.. found out how much trouble she would be in for the identity theft and thought it wasn't worth it. Or maybe once she met and married Blake, she knew she could never go back, never be Kimberly, never get in contact with her family... but maybe she thought it would be okay, because she had her own family now who loved her. And then when her marriage fell apart, well... it could have been too much. She could never go back to her old family, and the one she had was about to be gone. It's truly sad no matter what happened, but I'm happy that her daughter and husband will have closure.

 

[sloane7777]

Can you post a link to the FB Q&A? I'm extremely glad the daughter has a new set of relatives. The story is rather anticlimatic though. Hear me out, not that I was expecting an outrageous or horrible story. But her reason for running away forever is as someone pointed out, petty. I get the feeling this is far from the whole picture

she might not have wanted to expose daughter sad but true

 

[SavetheQueen]

Another thought about the missing years: maybe she was the victim of identity theft back then, & someone ruined her credit rating. So she was forced to adopt a new name.

I wonder if a credit report on "Kimberly McLean" would reveal anything. Or running the name thru the law enforcement databases. If she was involved (willingly or unwittingly) in something shady -- which was a lot easier then than one might think -- that would be enough to want to change her name.

Sheesh, now I know who she is & I still can't stop speculating on her life.

Background check - on it!

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

 

[jessr927]

If you want, PM me the name. I believe I found the sister, but the age difference was less than 6 years (although some of those people-finder sites are wrong, and have me listed at a different age and having lived on Long Island at one point).

Replying to #2167, sorry don't know how to quote. I came home and made a beeline for my husband's 1980 McDevitt yearbook. He is 6 years older than Kimberly so I didn't expect to see her but there is a girl in the freshman class named M. McLean. Maybe the sister? Of course, there are lots of Irish names so maybe not. Long time lurker, don't know that I ever posted before so hopefully I'm notbreaking therules.

 

[sceawian]

If you want, PM me the name. I believe I found the sister, but the age difference was less than 6 years (although some of those people-finder sites are wrong, and have me listed at a different age and having lived on Long Island at one point).

I would be interested to see what her sister looks like, and how much of a resemblance there is.

 

[Suglo]

I asked the reporter on FB who called the tip to Velling. She just confirmed it was Colleen Fitzpatrick.

It's on this thread down towards the bottom. https://www.facebook.com/WhoWasLoriEricaKennedy/posts/987660984676066


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[CherBearSTL]

I have so many thoughts, but the one that keeps replaying in my mind is why do families NOT report their loved ones missing? I just don't get it. I wish I could run a PSA on every television and radio station that said, "If you haven't seen your loved one and think they may be missing, voluntarily or involuntarily, please call your local police and report them missing. "

I'm glad she has her name back, although part of me feels like she didn't want that name. So, RIP to Lori and my thoughts are with the family who loved Kimberly.


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[jessr927]

I should have been clearer, I didn't find a picture of her, just her name and age on one of the people-finding sites. Could not find a FB for her either. I did find the stepfather on FB!

I would be interested to see what her sister looks like, and how much of a resemblance there is.

 

[CoverMeCagney]

I don't think so.Akoya said there was reason it shouldn't be public because it was a bad situation IIRC.

Rest in peace Kim. So thankful your daughter will have answers.

@Roselvr - did you already know she was Kim??

 

[Suglo]

I can't find that, help! Should be ok to link as it's an MSM journalist.

She's answering questions here in this thread. https://www.facebook.com/WhoWasLoriEricaKennedy/posts/987660984676066


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[Midge Montana]

A thought... what if it at some point Lori did regret her decision? Maybe she had done research, contacted lawyers about what would happen if she went back to being Kimberly.. found out how much trouble she would be in for the identity theft and thought it wasn't worth it. Or maybe once she met and married Blake, she knew she could never go back, never be Kimberly, never get in contact with her family... but maybe she thought it would be okay, because she had her own family now who loved her. And then when her marriage fell apart, well... it could have been too much. She could never go back to her old family, and the one she had was about to be gone. It's truly sad no matter what happened, but I'm happy that her daughter and husband will have closure.

Good point. Also...I wonder if the lawyer scribbled on the pad or the others who didn't know her when questioned will have their memory jogged by her real name now?
I think we need a thread for post-ID follow-ups!
Anyone have a link to the Q&A mentioned up thread?
Or to any other news stories that have further information from perhaps her family?
I'll bet we might see some articles or interviews in the upcoming days.

 

[WyomingSkyAngel]

I hate to say it but I think (just my opinion) that the name change & relocation was all about dodging someone she got close to after leaving PA....plus mental illness enhancing her feelings of alienation & paranoia. I have my suspicions about exactly what went on but I'll keep it to myself.

By the way I myself was accused of "trying to destroy" the life on an ex- acquaintance who had a gift for making bad decisions & snorting drugs. So I've witnessed people making completely delusional life decisions on the basis of mental meltdowns & drug induced paranoia. Some people are just too delicate for the wild life out there.

 

[lindamichelle1]

I'm actually in shock that they solved this!
I have followed this case since I joined websleuths, even before coz I was a long time lurker. This one and Grateful Doe were probably the first 2 that really got me into being so interested in missing people. I can't believe they both have answers.
I always thought with Lori it would be nothing crazy, just someone who changed their name and wanted to start again.
Now I will have to find another case to pour over haha

 

[SavetheQueen]

I suppose the only way to see the entire name change request file would be for someone in Dallas to go see the file.

Now that would mean that name changes in Texas are public record, which I wasn't able to verify when googling. Also, it would mean that her file was accessible and that Velling didn't take the original. I'm not sure how that works though? Would he take the original file or just make copies of the documents?

The original always stays in the record file. At least in Texas. And with federal documents. You'll get a certified copy, or a duplicate signed original, but an original is always obtained in the file.

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

 

[Suglo]

Good point. Also...I wonder if the lawyer scribbled on the pad or the others who didn't know her when questioned will have their memory jogged by her real name now?
I think we need a thread for post-ID follow-ups!
Anyone have a link to the Q&A mentioned up thread?
Or to any other news stories that have further information from perhaps her family?
I'll bet we might see some articles or interviews in the upcoming days.

I didn't mean to imply the reporter was doing a Q&A. She's on one of Who is Lori Ruff pages and she answered my question plus also corrected the timeline which was wrong when first posted earlier. I'm sure she will answer other questions if asked. https://www.facebook.com/WhoWasLoriEricaKennedy/posts/987660984676066


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[DJmultiplecats]

Happy to see this solved! I've been following this since 2014, it will be strange to no longer sleuth it.

As I suspected, Kimberly is not 1) an illegitimate child of Terry Turner 2) a Howder 3) a cult escapee 4) a missing person who was reported. She was, as I would have bet money on, a person who simply wanted to "start over".

In his defense (yes, it's a he) S/S and I corresponded privately last year, and the additional details he gave correspond with Kimberly's story. He said she had been living with her family and left to live with relatives when she had issues with her stepfather. Then she left those relatives to live in California, then Texas. The name she gave S/S in 1988 was made-up, Velling confirmed this after S/S called in the tip. The woman she was living with wasn't her mother - that was another lie she told.

 

[mrseeker]

I want to point out Gardener's handwriting comparisons from some time ago. I do not believe Kimberly wrote all those notes. I also wonder if a young girl would move out without a plan or traveling companion. I have said this before, and I will say it again, there is a man involved somewhere. I bet she was running off with a boyfriend or to see a boyfriend. I am glad to see she was not 9 or 10 years older than she said. But being she was so young, I really think someone orchestrated the name change. Not a broker but some friend who did it as well. I don't think it was to evade the family but to evade something she encountered during the two years. PErhaps someone she loved needed to change his name and she went along. Just a thought. wonder if there is a marriage license for Kimberly out there somewhere.

 

[1&2&3]

Guess this just shows us that with enough perseverance, mysteries can be solved.

So Kimberly was a normal girl, no wild or exotic childhood. She couldn't adjust to the divorce and her mother's new marriage. At 18, she was old enough to leave on her own and do it legally. This brings up many questions in my mind as to how a mother could let her daughter walk off. Hope we hear the story on this!

I am in a daze that we know who Lori Erica Kennedy Ruff was!

 

[CoverMeCagney]

Happy to see this solved! I've been following this since 2014, it will be strange to no longer sleuth it.

As I suspected, Kimberly is not 1) an illegitimate child of Terry Turner 2) a Howder 3) a cult escapee 4) a missing person who was reported. She was, as I would have bet money on, a person who simply wanted to "start over".

In his defense (yes, it's a he) S/S and I corresponded privately last year, and the additional details he gave correspond with Kimberly's story. He said she had been living with her family and left to live with relatives when she had issues with her stepfather. Then she left those relatives to live in California, then Texas. The name she gave S/S in 1988 was made-up, Velling confirmed this after S/S called in the tip. The woman she was living with wasn't her mother - that was another lie she told.

Gosh, that must have been difficult to maintain for her, especially as she got close to SS1988. I hope he comes back to us, would be interesting to help fill in the middle bit. I always had a feeling he was genuine enough.