Unmasking Jack the Ripper: A Forensic Retrospective

Serial killers have long held morbid intrigue for many people, but none so much as Jack the Ripper, a London murderer from the late 1880’s. By historical standards, Jack the Ripper was not particularly prolific; he had five victims, in stark contrast to a murderer like Countess Elizabeth Bathory, who had over 650 victims, but unlike Elizabeth Bathory, Jack the Ripper was never given a name. Today, with technology and forensic knowledge we possess, will we be able to name the infamous assassin?

Jack the Ripper is known to have killed five young women in the East End of London during a span of twelve weeks in 1888. These victims, known as the Canonical Five, in order, were as follows;

• Mary Nichols, murdered on the 31st of August 1888.

• Annie

Unfortunately, after publishing, experts began to question the forensic methods applied to test the DNA samples, and eventually they were disproved. The Ripper’s identity was unknown once more.

Just this year, a publication from 1993 gained popularity amongst the forensic community—amateurs and experts alike. A diary, dating from 1888-1889, written by a cotton merchant from Liverpool named James Maybrick, described the heinous crimes in such a fashion that some claimed only the killer could have written it. The last entry in the journal was signed "I give my name that all know of me, so history do tell, what love can do to a gentleman born. Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper." (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/06/true-identity-jack-ripper-revealed-diary-confirmed-genuine/ )

Maybrick died in 1889, which fits the timeline and gives cause to the abrupt way in which Jack’s murderous spree ended, but experts have doubts about the diary’s authenticity. Tony Devereux, discoverer of the diary, conveniently died shortly after it’s coming to light, rendering him quite incapable of questioning. Many believe it is simply an elaborate forgery, a means to make