.jpg)
Traditional depiction of Jack the Ripper (Wikipedia: Public Domain)
Unsolved for over 120 years, the infamous Ripper murders and Jack the Ripper remain an elusive, curious mystery. The killer roamed the Whitechapel area of London brutally massacring his first victim in 1888 using what appeared to be surgical knives.
The Ripper's victims were streetwalkers who were easy prey for the mutilator. In total, Jack claimed five women's lives, cutting their throats from ear to ear. One victim had her tongue torn out, while another was cut through the breast allowing the Ripper to remover her heart and other vital organs. Four of the women were disemboweled.
Mary Kelly was butchered in her bed with her face left unrecognizable from the Ripper's attack (you can see what the Ripper did to Mary Kelly, but BEWARE -- the photograph is explicit and may be disturbing to some—click here if you dare).
The crimes were never solved and rumors have implicated individuals such as Prince Albert Victor, grandson of Queen Victoria and the famous author, Lewis Carroll, who wrote "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." DNA suggests Jack the Ripper was not any of the men suspected, but rather, may have been a woman. In fact, some are now dubbing the killer, Jill the Ripper.
.jpg)
Mary Pearcey, murdered her lover's wife and was hanged for the crime in 1890, may have been "Jill the Ripper." (Wikipedia: Public domain)
In 2006, an Australian scientist, Ian Findley used swabs from letters allegedly sent to London police from the Ripper to attempt to build a DNA profile of the killer. Findlay, a professor of molecular and forensic diagnostics, claims to have developed a process by which he could extract DNA up to 160 years old from a strand of hair or single cell.
Although the results were "inconclusive" and not forensically reliable, a partial DNA profile was constructed. This led Findlay to believe the Ripper may be female.
In fact, one female was suspected during the Ripper investigations. Mary Pearcey became a suspect after murdering her lover's wife with a similar modus operandi as the Ripper. Mary was convicted and hanged in 1890.
Comments
...there's no reason to think Jack the Ripper used surgical knives over any other kind of knives, no Ripper victim had her tongue removed, the number of victims is very much up for debate, Pearcey was never suspected of being the Ripper during the investigation as she hadn't killed anyone yet and the idea was only offered by a single writer unaffiliated with the police, most sources do not think the letters the DNA was taken from were actually written by the killer, and since they were not kept in any sort of contamination-free environment there's no telling where the partial DNA on the letters came from.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!