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The Mystery of Lori Erica Ruff


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Well, I've decided that that paper is useless because I think if she believed it offered any clue as to her actual identity, I doubt she would have kept it.

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This really is an interesting case. A couple of things that I noticed there is nothing that states she had a Social Security number as Becky Sue. It's a while back yes, but people generaly got SSNs at least when they became teenagers. The name change from Becky Sue to Lori had to have an application which is actually mentioned in the official document and there would have been a SSN required on that application ?? So why does this article just have the journal entry which tells really nothing and not the application ??

Or did I miss mention of it somewhere along the line ?

Edit: I just went back and found that there is a SSN listed on Becky's Idaho Driver's license. Was that never used ? Perhaps because she just "appeared" as a late teen with that name, it wasn't.

My understanding after reading the whole article is that Becky Sue died in a fire aged 2, and wouldn't have had a number back then.

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Do they have no recollection of her or are they keeping silent for another reason? confidentiality? to protect themselves from prosecution or because someone scary out there would be angry at them for helping her to disappear?

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Do they have no recollection of her or are they keeping silent for another reason? confidentiality? to protect themselves from prosecution or because someone scary out there would be angry at them for helping her to disappear?

i suspect they really don't remember her. one of the names is an attorney in dallas who at the time was an assistant prosecutor. she was a brand new attorney. it's almost like lori was looking for someone.

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Someone who's last name and profession she knew but not all the particulars, maybe.

there is a common name among two lawyers. i have thought that too. but one is very new. I am wondering if there was a lawyer that handled some business, perhaps her adoption, or something for her parents. She only knew the last name, and was fishing with no real clues.

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Earlier in the thread few people mentioned that if this became national news it would be solved. Unfortunately, while it has been featured on Fox News and the New York Daily News, it has not helped.

I don’t think Jane Doe had any relation to the girl whose birth certificate she stole; It makes no sense that if you are trying to hide your past that you would choose a the name of a person that can be linked back to your original identity.

I do think she lived in Washington State, or was there for a time. She probably looked up obits in the paper for young children who died. (On microfiche in the library) Many obits include place of birth. She chose one who died in a different state from where they are born; this way, if anyone did some digging., they would not find death certificate.

To make it even more difficult to track her – or so that she can choose a name that she prefers – she then legally changed her name.

She moved around a lot so I think it is reasonable to hypothesize that she went from Washington (where she looked up obits in the library) to Bakersfield, Calif (where she got the birth certificate) to Idaho (where she got the driver’s license) to Texas (where she got the SS# and legally changed her name. ) Interesting to note: she did not settle in the state where Becky died, where Becky was born or the state where she first got a driver’s license.

Most likely scenario is that she was hiding from someone – abusive family/husband/boyfriend. Or a potential prison sentence.

I find it interesting that “she spent hours tracking [the Ruffs] genealogy and collecting their family recipes.” I wonder if that is because she had no family to call her own and wanted to fill the void.

For those who wonder how they know when the birth certificate was requested, that is a simple answer. The date is always printed on official documents. In doing genealogy research, I found several gov’t documents regarding my grandparents that were issued in the 1980s. These included birth certificates, naturalization papers and wedding certificate. All included the date the copy was made.

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It makes no sense that if you are trying to hide your past that you would choose a the name of a person that can be linked back to your original identity.

Well, since there isn't a known link, I couldn't say whether it makes sense or not. (I hope that makes sense. :lol: )

I'm not sure why- I guess it's just a feeling about it- I've always leaned toward the idea that she somehow (directly or indirectly) already had personal knowledge of Becky Turner.

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Earlier in the thread few people mentioned that if this became national news it would be solved. Unfortunately, while it has been featured on Fox News and the New York Daily News, it has not helped.

I don’t think Jane Doe had any relation to the girl whose birth certificate she stole; It makes no sense that if you are trying to hide your past that you would choose a the name of a person that can be linked back to your original identity.

I do think she lived in Washington State, or was there for a time. She probably looked up obits in the paper for young children who died. (On microfiche in the library) Many obits include place of birth. She chose one who died in a different state from where they are born; this way, if anyone did some digging., they would not find death certificate.

To make it even more difficult to track her – or so that she can choose a name that she prefers – she then legally changed her name.

She moved around a lot so I think it is reasonable to hypothesize that she went from Washington (where she looked up obits in the library) to Bakersfield, Calif (where she got the birth certificate) to Idaho (where she got the driver’s license) to Texas (where she got the SS# and legally changed her name. ) Interesting to note: she did not settle in the state where Becky died, where Becky was born or the state where she first got a driver’s license.

Most likely scenario is that she was hiding from someone – abusive family/husband/boyfriend. Or a potential prison sentence.

I find it interesting that “she spent hours tracking [the Ruffs] genealogy and collecting their family recipes.” I wonder if that is because she had no family to call her own and wanted to fill the void.

For those who wonder how they know when the birth certificate was requested, that is a simple answer. The date is always printed on official documents. In doing genealogy research, I found several gov’t documents regarding my grandparents that were issued in the 1980s. These included birth certificates, naturalization papers and wedding certificate. All included the date the copy was made.

Good summation. We have papers like that for my grandfather. Not a birth certificate but a confirmation of birth witnessed by the records of the church he was baptized in. Also generated in the 1980's.

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  • 1 year later...

So apparently she has been identified..she has been taken off the NamUs page (National Missing and unidentified persons system) anddd her NamUs case manager confirmed she has been identified. The details are remaining private for now.

Link to the reddit page where people have been discussing this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/53nii2/lori_erica_ruff_namus_page_taken_down/

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SOLVED!!!

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/special-reports/my-god-thats-kimberly-online-sleuth-solves-perplexing-mystery-of-identity-thief-lori-ruff/

Maybe a mod can change the title to communicate this important news!?!?! This is so exciting!!!!

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On 22/09/2016 at 8:45 AM, Rinna said:

SOLVED!!!

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/special-reports/my-god-thats-kimberly-online-sleuth-solves-perplexing-mystery-of-identity-thief-lori-ruff/

Maybe a mod can change the title to communicate this important news!?!?! This is so exciting!!!!

great news that this has been solved for all involved but I still have questions . why didn't her mother,family or friends ever report her missing ?

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51 minutes ago, Ozfactor said:

great news that this has been solved for all involved but I still have questions . why didn't her mother,family or friends ever report her missing ?

I think perhaps because she told them she wanted to be left alone. They assumed she didn't want to be found. Plus, would the Police seriously follow up if they heard that she was an adult who didn't want to associate with her family anymore? It's her choice right?

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On 9/21/2016 at 6:45 PM, Rinna said:

SOLVED!!!

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/special-reports/my-god-thats-kimberly-online-sleuth-solves-perplexing-mystery-of-identity-thief-lori-ruff/

Maybe a mod can change the title to communicate this important news!?!?! This is so exciting!!!!

That is so great! one mystery solved

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So this is a rather anti-climatic conclusion...but I'd always figured it would be.

Now I remember thinking that she could have been some kind of a nut to do what she did, but basically, I thought she did it simply because it's what she wanted to do and that it was for a reason (or reasons) that only she could know and/or explain. 

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Its sad to think this girl just left her whole family because her Mother and Father separated, and when she had her own problems with her husband decided to commit suicide  

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