Who is Jack the Ripper? Do you have any idea about this serial killer and why he did what he did? Killing women and mutilating them in such a severe manner is still a mystery! In this article, I will share the case details with you.
You will be shocked to know that the police were taunted by the letters sent to them highlighting their incompetence! I am here to discuss the public fascination with the case and the highlighted social issues.
The details of the case will show you how shocking the murders were! The concept of serial killing took hold of the public’s attention after the Jack the Ripper case. What is worse is that the killer was never identified, which made the case even more controversial!
Taunting The Police With Moniker, This Serial Killer Never Got Caught!
Let’s delve deeper into this case, which will shock and surprise you! So why do you think the name of the murders or case is given as Whitechapel? All the victim bodies are found in and around the Whitechapel district of East End London, thus, the given name.
The five murders that are attributed to the serial killer Jack the Ripper show similar characteristics. One of the most infamous criminals globally, Jack the Ripper, has triggered many triggers, including “Jack the Ripper”!
Many people, however, still think that the letter is a hoax. It was alleged that the letters had been sent by the killer, taunting the officers of the London Metropolitan Police Service. The motives of the killer are still unknown even though the investigators made several claims!
There are several movies based on the stories Jack the Ripper! One such is The Lodger (2009) which is about a copycat killer who is trying to copy the modus operandi of Jack the Ripper. The incredible cast shows how far an idea can inspire a human to go!
Background
Let us read about the case’s background, as people are still in the dark about many details. Jack the Ripper was the unidentified serial killer in London in 1888 who set an example for future serial killers even though he was not the first one!
This case is still unsolved and is a true terror regarding the details. You will be shocked to read about the details of all these women who suffered at the hands of Jack the Reaper. After investigating the cases, it was clear that only working girls were being targeted.
In London, prostitution was only illegal when the public reported disturbances; otherwise, the low-rent lodging houses and brothels gave sexual services in the 19th century. The press during that time hardly reported any working women being harassed or killed!
And yet, the number of murders that started in 1888 was different from normal murders and killings! A mind more sociopathic and disturbed was at work; thus, a series of sadistic butchery started. The crime reflects a hatred towards the female gender, therefore portraying the brutality of the killer.
The mutilation of these women took the whole case to a different level, especially with the police being complete. The killer disemboweled these women by removing organs from the body, such as uteruses and kidneys, even though the motives are completely unknown.
Murders Committed
Jack the Ripper killed five women canonically, while there are other details involved in this case. Let us get deeper into the Whitechapel murders, along with other information about the victims and the murder. The names of the five women who were killed and are categorized inside the Whitechapel murders are:
- Mary Ann Nicholls
- Annie Chapman
- Elizabeth Stride
- Catherine Eddowes
- Mary Jane Kelly
These five women have been specifically highlighted. However, investigators claim that far more women were victims. There has been a police file which is quite extensive in detailing that there are at least 11 women who were murdered similarly on the streets of London.
There was much macabre evidence present in and around the crime site, and yet, the perpetrator was not caught! Most of these women were sex workers hence, initially, nobody was worried about their death.
The murder of Catherine Eddowes was one of the most brutal and chilling murders in the Whitechapel case. The body was found in Mitre Square, closer to the Eastern boundary of London.
Her throat was slashed, along with the killer disemboweling her as he took out the left kidney and uterus! Jack the Ripper also disfigured the face of the victim. These acts became the modus operandi of the murderer.
Investigation Of The Crime
So, the question is, why was Jack the Ripper never caught? The police set up a Whitechapel vigilance committee, which investigated the murders, trying to profile the criminal. And yet it wasn’t easy because of the East End London conditions!
Overcrowding was the primary reason, as 800 people per acre forced people to live in smaller, cramped lodgings. Slums were being cleared while new business was being created, thus creating an overcrowded and unsanitary environment in the East End.
Eight to nine people lived in one room in those casual lodging houses; thus, in one dormitory, there were 80 people all crammed together. The environment was fetid with dim gaslights and a crowd; a serial killer could easily go unnoticed.
Another concern was that many immigrants and refugees, mostly Jewish, sought accommodations so that they could later flee to Europe. Now, you would ask why the Ripper was not caught even when the police investigated. Well, modern forensic science and DNA evidence were unavailable then.
After 1905, fingerprint-generated conviction was used, along with the complete absence of blood grouping. Due to these gaps, the evidence left at the crime scene could have been better. These gaps made the police completely blind. Thus, they were left assuming and categorizing based on doubts.
Suspects
Over the years, people have developed various theories as the identity of Jack the Ripper is still unidentified. A blood-spattered shawl was found at the crime scene of Catherine Eddowes in 1888! There was an auction related to Jack the Ripper cases in which Russell Edwards purchased this shawl.
There have been some proposed suspects in terms of the identity of Jack the Ripper. DNA analysis was used by Edwards, where the shawl was connected to Polish immigrant Aaron Kosminski. Later, Dr Jari Louhelainen of John Moores University analyzed the same shawl in 2011.
He stated that the split body parts were inconsistent with human kidney removal. Even mitochondrial DNA was found in the shawl, which was the exact match of the direct descendants of Aaron Kosminki and Catherine Eddowes.
However, there has been a severe lack of conclusive evidence regarding suspects who might be Jack the Reaper. There have been several people who think this is another wild theory that people are going after.
Taunting The Police
Murder was very uncommon in the 19th century. Hence, the police were heavily unprepared in cases like these. During the Whitechapel murders, the police received several letters which shocked everyone.
Some letters attribute Jack the Ripper to taunting the police for their incompatibility to identify and catch the killer. Murder investigation was quite slow during that time, along with hostility from the media.
There are many more similarities in 13 murders during 1887, 28 murders in 1888, and 17 murders in 1889 with the Whitechapel murders. There were many features common in these murders; however, there was no way to prove it.
The police were taunted for these incapabilities, not only by the public but also by the letter sent to them! The inspector in charge of this case, Frederick George Abberline, was promoted to this case so that they could patrol and monitor all the criminal elements in the neighborhood.
However, even Abberline was not able to close the case by bringing the killer to justice!
Involvement Of The Media
W.T. Stead, the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, was hostile regarding cooperation with the police, known as Scotland Yard. Along with this issue of the increasing failure of the police to track the Whitechapel murders, Stead was also angry at the rough handling of the Bloody Sunday riots of 1886.
The police handled it quite incompatibly. Furthermore, Stead highlighted himself as a man who stood up and championed the working class. The mismanagement of the police towards the public and their struggles was highlighted in the newspapers.
This made the killer more aware of the steps taken by the police! The press reported All salacious details, which made the public more desperate. Even individual constables or detectives were shadowed regularly, thus tipping off the killer with all the strategies or moves by the police!
Finishing Off…
To sum it up, Jack the Ripper set examples for many stories, movies, series, and research, but the terror was real. The brutality with which women were killed during that time! The five murders were not the only ones, as the investigators found more.
The difficulty faced by the police was not just the environment but also because the press leaked all the information, thus creating a misleading environment.
Why don’t you comment on what you think is why the Whitechapel murders or the story of Jack the Ripper are still a mystery?
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