Jack the Ripper

Jack the Ripper is the name given to an unidentified serial killer who murdered at least five women — known as the "canonical five" — in the Whitechapel district of London's East End during the autumn of 1888. The victims, all women working in prostitution, were found with their throats cut and bodies severely mutilated, with the later victims showing signs of anatomical knowledge in the removal of organs. The crimes caused widespread panic throughout London and attracted enormous press coverage. The investigation, conducted by the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police, identified dozens of suspects but produced no conviction. The killer sent several letters to police and newspapers — most famously the "Dear Boss" letter that coined the name "Jack the Ripper" — though many are believed to be hoaxes. A letter accompanied by half a preserved kidney, sent to the head of a neighborhood vigilance committee, remains more disputed. Investigators at the time considered over 100 suspects. In the 130-plus years since the murders, amateur investigators and historians have proposed hundreds more, including Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminski, barrister Montague Druitt, and even members of the British royal family. A 2019 DNA analysis of a shawl allegedly found at one crime scene pointed toward Kosminski, though the chain of custody for the shawl has been disputed. The case has never been officially solved and likely never will be. Jack the Ripper has become one of the most enduring mysteries in criminal history, spawning hundreds of books, films, walking tours, and a cottage industry of "Ripperology." The murders drew early attention to the desperate poverty and violence faced by women in Victorian London and helped catalyze public health and social reform movements.