Do you know who Jack the Ripper is? Let me paint you a picture.

Imagine walking down a dimly lit street — the dark orange brick on the walls, barely visible.

Only a few stragglers stumbling down the cobblestone road, probably drunk. The dense smog makes it hard to see far into the distance.

Suddenly, a hand wearing a black glove grabs you. Your hair yanked hard. You feel pain on your side. It’s sharp. You can’t tell, but you think it’s what a deep knife feels like.

You feel stabbing pain again and again. Attempting to keep your balance, you stumble to the ground. Now, on all fours, you try to pick yourself up. Then you feel it. It’s a pain that’s too deep to be real. You lose your breath.

Now you feel like your drowning. Why are you gurgling, but most importantly, what are you gurgling?

Your mouth fills up with blood as you realize what the sharp pain is. You fight and struggle to get your hand to your throat. You feel the gash on your neck. The blood pours out the side of your neck as you start to blackout.

You know who it was. It’s Jack the Ripper claiming his next victim. Who would of thought it would be you?

As you lay dying, taking your last breaths, you realize the terror is not over. He opens you up takes out your internal organs. He mutilates your private parts and then starts hacking off your face.

These murders, although they happened so long ago, continue to spark people’s interest.

But when did this all occur? Let’s find out below!

Timeline and Victims of Jack the Ripper

All of this happened in the 1800’s but you can see the story of Jack the Ripper in movies, magazines, museums, and books. People all over the world recognize the story.

The details, although gruesome is extremely fascinating. It’s macabre yet enticing. Who were his victims and what exactly happened to them? Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

A timeline

From 1888 to 1891 eleven deaths in the Whitechapel district of London became widely known. Although Jack the Ripper was not the first serial killer, his story is one of the first to go viral.

Today, we know him as Jack the Ripper, but back then, they also called him the Leather Apron.

Even though there were eleven identified murders during this time, only five linked back to Jack the Ripper. His Modus Operandi or MO consisted of brutally stabbing prostitutes, mutilating the face and vaginas. He removed vital organs and slashed their throat.

Jack the Ripper was never caught. Therefore no one knows his true identity. However, there are a couple of theories floating around as to who he might have been.

The Conical Five: Jack the Ripper’s Five Victims

The Conical Five, or the five murder victims traced back to Jack the Ripper, are Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly.

Marry Ann Nichols

Marry Ann Nichol’s body was located on Buck’s Row (now Durward Street), Whitechapel, at about 3:40 am on Friday, August 31, 1888. She had two slits on her throat. Her midsection, torn open by the same weapon.

Annie Chapman

Annie Chapman’s body was found at about 6 am on Saturday, September 8, 1888, near a doorway in the back yard of 29 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields.

Chapman’s body had very similar wounds. Two deep slashes on her throat and a deep abdominal wound which linked both murders together. However, Chapman’s body did not have her uterus.

Witnesses claim they saw Annie Chapman walking with a dark-haired man around 5:30 am. 30 minutes before they found her body. Was it Jack the Ripper?

The “Double Event”

Elizabeth Stride was killed in the early morning of Sunday September 30, 1888. Her body found at 1 am in Dutfield’s Yard, off Berner Street (now Henriques Street) in Whitechapel.

One gash to the neck caused her death. However, her body did not have abdominal cuts or mutilations. Authorities suspect Jack the Ripper did not finish. Perhaps someone walking by interrupted him.

With this in mind, many people think Stride died by different hands. Also, witness statements contradict each other. Some say they saw Stride walking with a fair-skinned, poorly dressed man. Others say the man she was with was dark and well dressed.

On the same day, Catherine Eddowes’ body was found, in Mitre Square about 45 minutes after Stride’s body. Her throat slashed and her abdomen ripped open. Half a kidney and most of her uterus missing.

A local witness later stated that he saw Eddowes with a fair-haired man with a poorly dressed appearance shortly before her death.

The most brutal murder

The last of Jack the Ripper’s Conical Five is the most gruesome. Prepare yourself!

Mary Jane Kelly’s body was found in her apartment at 13 Miller’s Court, off Dorset Street, Spitalfields, at 10:45 am on Friday, November 9, 1888.

Her throat slashed so deep it exposed the spine. Her abdomen torn open, and most organs removed. The heart was taken from its chest. Her face hacked away until rendered unrecognizable.

Mapping Jack the Ripper’s Bodies Across Town

Some people speculate that Jack the Ripper was a religious man. Others say his murders are a statement against the poor or his hatred for prostitutes.

If you pinpoint the victims on a map, the points make the shape of a cross. Was this Jack the Rippers statement? Or is this a coincidence?

Letters Sent From Hell

The story of Jack the Ripper has so many details; it’s no wonder they’ve made it into many movies.

Some of the crazy facts that came out of these murders are the letters that are supposedly from Jack the Ripper himself.

Even though police reportedly received hundreds of letters, only three letters stand out the most.

The Dear Boss letter

This letter, dated September 25, is postmarked September 27, 1888. Received by the Central News Agency, and forwarded to Scotland Yard on September 29 was first considered a joke.

However, three days after the letter was postmarked, Eddowes body was found. The letter states that he has cut the ears of his latest victim and will send it to the police station soon.

Coincidently, Eddowes ear was snipped off. But is it really a coincidence?

Eddowes ear never arrived.

Additionally, the name signed at the end of the letter was Jack the Ripper. It was the first time he referred to himself as Jack the Ripper. After its publication, the name stuck.

Saucy Jack letter

The “Saucy Jacky” letter, postmarked on October 1, 1888. It also arrived at the Central News Agency on the same day. The handwriting was similar to the “Dear Boss” letter.

The most interesting fact about this letter is the postmark date. It was literally postmarked 24 hours after they found the bodies of Eddows and Stride.

News outlets and the major public did not know about these events as of yet. Newspapers haven’t reported anything when the letter arrived.

The letter itself quotes, “…a double event this time…” Meaning, the person who sent this knew facts about Jack the Rippers case no one else could have known. So, who sent it? Was it Jack the Ripper?

From Hell letter

This letter arrived on October 16, 1888.

Although, the writing was different than the other two, what makes this letter special is part of a kidney that came with it.

Considering Eddowes body didn’t have a kidney, authorities paid more attention to this evidence.

The letter goes on to say that he ate part of the kidney.

Authorities tested the kidney and they realized it came from a human. However, they could not tell anything else about its biology.

Here is a photocopy of the actual letter for your reading pleasure. Just in case you can’t read it, here is the transcript:

From hell.

Mr Lusk,

Sir

I send you half the Kidney I took from one women preserved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nice. I may send you the bloody knife that took it out if you only wate a while longer

signed

Catch me when you can Mishter Lusk

Speculation About Who Jack the Ripper Was

The list of suspects reaches the hundreds. Considering he was never caught, today, your guess is as good as anyone’s.

Theories suggest he was a middle-class man who might have lived in the area. It would make sense considering Jack the Rippers victims were all found close to each other.

Some say he might have been a doctor. Others say he was a wealthy aristocrat that came into town to murder as he pleased.

Where did Jack the Ripper Go?

Although no one knows where Jack the Ripper went after his murders, others concluded that he might have left the country.

One of the most interesting coincidences of the Jack the Ripper story says that he moved to the United States.

Lets back up a bit. In 1885, three years before the Whitechapel Murders in London, the Servant Girl Annihilator killed several women.

It turns out Jack the Ripper and the Servant Girl Annihilator killed in similar ways. This made police think they were the same person.

Even though these murders happened before the Whitechapel murders in London, it caused London authorities to question several people in Texas. Ultimately, they put James Phillips in jail for these murders. The conviction was later overturned.

When the murders stopped, people began to speculate that the killer left town. Did he move to London?

After Whitechapel

In 1891 Carrie Brown was murdered in New York City. Someone strangled her to death and mutilated with her with a knife. Although no organs were taken, authorities found her ovaries outside of her body.

Did Jack the Ripper return to the United States after his murder spree in Whitechapel London?

Where to Find Jack the Ripper Today

In 2015 an official Jack the Ripper Museum opened in London. It has historical documents and recreated crime scenes where the bodies were found.

Similarly, there are many Jack the Ripper tours that walk you through Whitechapel and explain the history in gruesome detail. I even found a free one for you guys!

So, can you guess where I’m headed?

Yes. I went to check out the Jack the Ripper Museum and I absolutely loved it. It’s 5 floors of recreated rooms. 

You have a Jack the Ripper murder scene where you can view the police hover over an already dead Ripper victim. 

The room is created to look like the old streets of London. It’s very cute. It even has sound effects of the time. Children screaming at you to buy the local newspaper fills the room as you inspect the murder scene yourself.

You have the police station recreated with police evidence. The Jack the Ripper case is still unsolved. It was such a complex case, piles of letter accumulated throughout this office.

There is even a theoretical room of what Jack the Ripper’s house would look like. They theorized he was an affluent male, perhaps a doctor. 

You can inspect his desk. You’ll see his surgical tools and even read his already written letters.

The Jack the Ripper Museum is great. It also wouldn’t be complete without a mortuary of all of his victims.

It’s a great museum. I highly recommend checking out the Jack the Ripper museum if you’re into dark and creepy tourism. I know I loved it.

Jack the Ripper Museum Video

Are you ready to solve the most unsolved case of all time? Let’s go!

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