One of the great, unsolved murder mysteries of all time is that of "Jack the Ripper’. Jack the Ripper is notorious for having murdered female victims in the autumn of 1888. He terrorized the streets of London for three months but was never caught. For over a century writers, police, historians and criminal detectives have tried to solve the murder mystery. Throughout the years Jack the Ripper has featured in countless books, articles and films. There have been many suspects, including a doctor, businessman, painter and even member of the royal family. Although individuals, such as Patricia Cornwell, American crime writer, have come close to identifying the murderer, the question "who was Jack the Ripper?’ has remained unanswered.
It is no surprise that when The Daily Mail reported that Jack the Ripper had been unmasked after 126 years, many readers and other news portals seemed sceptical. However, the great question of Jack the Ripper’s identity may have finally been answered…
Russell Edwards first laid eyes on a blood-soaked shawl in an auction house in Bury St Edmunds in March 2007. The bloodstains were allegedly of Catherine Eddowes, one of the victims of Jack the Ripper. Although its authenticity was not evidenced, Edwards received a letter from its previous owner. The letter stated that the shawl had been collected from the murder scene by an ancestor who worked as a policeman. Dr Jari Louhelainen, an expert in genetic evidence from historical crime scenes and senior lecturer in molecular biology at Liverpool John Moores University, agreed to conduct tests on the shawl. They began in 2011. Dr Louhelainen used special photographic analysis, including UV photography, to establish what the stains were. He concluded that the blood stains matched the death Eddowes had met. Dr Louhelainen also discovered stains with the characteristics of semen. By testing the DNA found on the shawl against the DNA of a direct descendant of Eddowes, Edwards and Dr Louhelainen could come to the conclusion that the shawl was an authentic piece of evidence, scientifically linked to the murder scene of Eddowes in September 1888.
The same method that was used to link the bloodstains to the victim was used to test the semen stains found on the shawl. Edwards researched the life story of Aaron Kosminski, one of the main suspects of the case. He discovered a British descendant of Kosminski’s sister, Matilda. She provided Edwards with oral swabs. Seven years after the purchase of the shawl, Edwards and Dr Louhelainen had a match.
Jack the Ripper’s identity has finally been solved after 126 years. Edwards and Dr Louhelainen have proved that the culprit was Aaron Kosminski, a man who achieved sexual pleasure from brutally murdering women. In a letter written to The Daily Mail, Edwards stated that “[n]o doubt a slew of books and films will now emerge to speculate on his personality and motivation. I have no wish to do so. I wanted to provide real answers using scientific evidence, and I’m overwhelmed that 126 years on, I have solved the mystery.”
In spite of finding this news comforting and finally putting an end to years of curiosity, this is not the first time the case has been assumed solved. Last year, in 2013, The Sunday Express reported that the letter written to Scotland Yard, where Jack the Ripper’s name originated, had been forged by a journalist. Other news portals, including The Huffington Post, have also previously reported the end to the mystery about Jack the Ripper’s case.
Can we state, as Patricia Cornwell and other authors did years ago, that the case of Jack the Ripper is now closed? We will have to wait and keep ourselves informed.
