This Man Was Shocked to Discover His Wife's Secret Past



This Man Was Shocked to Discover His Wife’s Secret Past

They say love is blind, and for Blake Ruff, this was definitely true. He met a woman named Lori, who seemed like the perfect match for him. She was fun and loving, seemed to enjoy spending time with him, and he could see her being the mother of his children. It seemed like the perfect time to ask for her hand in marriage, get married, and start a family. He knew he was ready, and Lori seemed like the ideal wife. As soon as the wedding rings were on their ring fingers though, things began to change. Lori was not who she had claimed to be, and Blake was about to find out in a very dramatic way.

Falling In Love


Lori Erica Kennedy appeared to be a normal, raven haired woman. At least, that is what Blake Ruff assumed when he met her in 2003. He saw her, and knew that that was it. She was the love of his life.

They dated for around a year, and Blake was sure that she was going to be his life partner. After proposing, Lori immediately said, “Yes.” The two began to plan their wedding, and everything seemed perfect.


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A Hidden Past


Both Lori and Blake were devout Christians, and Blake had been a long time member of a weekly Bible class. One day, Lori decided to attend a class, and that was when Blake saw her. He knew that she was originally from Arizona, but that was it.

She would not disclose any other details, such as if she had been married before, who her parents were, or even if she had any siblings. Essentially, she was a woman of mystery, and Blake was okay with that. His family on the other hand, were not. They worried about this woman who had so much sway over Blake.
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A Small Wedding


With Blake’s family being unhappy at the prospect of their marriage, they opted to have a ceremony with just the two of them, and some witnesses. The preacher from the church where they met, was the one that offered to marry them, and he did in an intimate ceremony.

After the wedding, Blake began to work more, and prepared to provide for a family he was hoping would grow by one more. The addition of a baby was what he felt would really bring them altogether, and he hoped that his family would finally accept Lori as his life partner.


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Tough Beginnings


Now that both Lori and Blake appeared to be experiencing wedded bliss, it was time to expand their family. They both dreamed of having a bunch of children, and they wanted to get started right away. Sadly, Lori had a variety of issues each time she got pregnant, which resulted in miscarriages.

This would happen multiple times, and both Blake and Lori feared that they may not be able to have children naturally. They made one last attempt, by paying for a pricey in vitro fertilization method, and luckily for them, it worked! They were going to have a little girl.
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A Baby Girl Arrives


It seemed like things could not have been more perfect. This pregnancy was unlike the others. The baby girl was healthy, growing normally, and Lori was ecstatic at the thought of their new baby. Then, things began to change. Slowly, Lori’s personality began to shift.

She no longer wanted to be around Blake, and she began to worry that their friends and family wanted to harm their unborn child. Blake could not understand what was happening. How could Lori change from the loving wife he knew, to someone who seemed to despise him? She would not tell him why she was acting like this.
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A Double Personality


Then, at the flip of a switch, Lori seemed to decide that she wanted to be closer to Blake then ever before. She began to pester him with questions about his family, and their history. It was like she needed to know every little detail, for a specific reason, but not one she would tell him.

Blake found this behaviour unsettling, but he hoped that it meant they were about to reconcile before the baby was born.
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The Baby Girl Arrives


After nine months of what felt like craziness to Blake, and his family, their little girl was born. Blake’s family wanted to meet the newest member of their family, but Lori was not comfortable with them holding the baby.

It got to the point where Lori no longer wanted Blake’s family to come by the house, and she did not want them to see the baby. It appeared that Lori was suffering from postpartum depression.
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Counselling


The not so happy couple had only been married for 8 years, but it was clear something wasn’t working. Blake decided that couple’s therapy might allow Lori to open up about her past, and come to terms with some of the issues she had.

The therapy didn’t work though, and Lori no longer wanted to be with Blake. He was saddened by this, but at least he had their daughter, which he loved dearly.
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A Descent Into Madness


Once the divorce was finalized, Lori appeared to lose her grip on reality. She refused to eat, and talk with anyone but her local pastor. Blake worried about their daughter and knew that he needed to be the primary caregiver. Lori was not in the right state of mind to be caring for a baby.

She began to ramble about her past, and none of it made sense to the pastor or Blake who did not know about any of it.
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The End


Lori’s past seemed to haunt her, and the fact she would not share it with anybody was very troubling. A few months after the divorce, Lori made the decision to take her own life, in a vehicle at Blake’s residence. She left behind two messages, one for Blake, and one for his daughter.

What they contained barely looked like English, but instead the ramblings of someone who had lost their mind. Blake did not understand what he was looking at.
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The Truth Comes Out


Dealing with Lori’s death was very hard for Blake. He had truly loved her, and was sad to know that she felt like she could not come to him for help. He began to go through the items she had left behind, and donate them to charity.

While he was going through them, he found what appeared to be an old lunch box. It looked like it had seen some wear and tear, and what was inside, would finally tell Blake everything he needed to know about Lori.
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A Hidden Life


The lunch box was locked, and no matter what Blake did, he could not get it to unlock. He tried to pick it, smash it with a hammer, and any other ways he could think of. Yet, like Lori’s mind, it remained closed to him. He had to know what was inside though.

Clearly, she had done everything in her power to keep this from him, and with her gone, it was time to know what secrets she had been keeping.
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Hidden Inside


A visit to the local police station, is what Blake decided would be his best course of action. They would be able to cut the lock off. As the box was opened, Blake peered inside.

It seemed that Lori, was not actually Lori. There were licenses from a number of states, with different names, as well as a birth certificate with a name that was not Lori’s. Blake had been married to a stranger for eight years.
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Her Real Identity


Lori’s real name was Becky Sue Turner, and she had undergone a legal name change in 1988. The only problem was that her original name of Becky Sue Turner also appeared to be fake.

The police ran her name, along with aliases through their database, and found out that Becky Sue was actually deceased. She had passed away in a tragic fire that swept through her house as a child in 1971. Who was Lori?
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A Dark Hole


No matter how hard the police looked, they could not find out any information about Lori before she became Lori. It was like a dark hole was hiding the Lori of old. Blake was beyond confused by all of this.

Everything Lori had told Blake about herself, was actually true, she had gone to the University of Texas as Lori. What was confusing, was what she had been doing before she became Lori. That was what everyone wanted to know.
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Dead Ends


The open investigation around who Lori was continued for a few years. Blake, and the police wanted to know if she had been up to anything else that was fraudulent.

No matter how hard everyone tried, or whenever a new lead was found, nothing would come of it. Lori was an enigma both in life, and in death. Blake would look at the daughter they had shared, and wonder if she had a dark part of Lori in her.
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DNA Doesn’t Lie


Colleen Fitzpatrick had been following the case for a time, and decided that genealogy may just hold the answers to this case. She approached Blake, in her position as a genealogist, and offered him her expertise.

He immediately jumped at the chance to finally know more about his former wife. All it would take is a small bit of DNA from their daughter, and Lori’s secrets would finally be unleashed. What Colleen found was very interesting.
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Got A Match


An investigator by the name of Joe Velling had been working with the police, and when he heard that Colleen had found a cousin of Lori’s in her database, he knew he had to follow-up. Joe made his way to Pennsylvania where he found Michael Cassidy.

After a quick glance at a picture of Lori, he confirmed that her name was Kimberly McLean. She had not been seen since she was 17, when she had left home without a word.
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Running Away


Ultimately, Lori had left home because she did not like her mother’s new husband. It was the DNA that cracked this case. Lori was largely unknown because she had so many aliases.

If Joe had not followed the DNA trail to her cousin, Blake would most likely have never know who the mother of his daughter was. Now, he can tell her about the good parts, such as when they first met and fell in love.
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The Wonder Of DNA


DNA is an amazing tool that investigators are now starting to use all over the world. Trace amounts of DNA can be used to solve crimes in a way that some evidence cannot.

All it takes is a fingerprint, a strand of hair, or even a used cup to find out who someone is. Finding lost family members is another way that regular folks are also starting to use it. DNA testing kits have become very popular over the years.
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DNA Testing


For most of us, we know who our immediate family is, but what about those members that are very far removed? DNA kits from companies like Ancestry and 23andMe offer a rare glimpse into our families’ past. If you want to find out what part of the world your family comes from, or even if you still have family members there, then these tests are pretty amazing.

The database will be checked to see if there are family members for you to contact, and have a reunion with!
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Moving On


Now that Blake knows the truth about Lori, he is able to have some peace of mind. He loved her until her past overwhelmed her. He does not know what happened in the years preceding his time with her, but he knows that something traumatic must have happened to make her leave home.

He hopes that she has found some peace wherever she is now, and his family and he truly love the daughter that they worked so hard to have together.
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Always Ask Questions


If Blake’s story has taught us anything, it is that we should always ask questions. You can never truly know a person, until they open up about their past. Lori had a lot to hide, but maybe if she had allowed herself to open up to Blake, things could have been different.

In the end, he got to know who Lori was, and that was enough for him to make peace with the situation. Now, Blake and his daughter can lead a happy life together.