Whitechapel 1888

Between 1887 and 1891, in the district of Whitechapel, an area of the East London Borough of Tower Hamlets, England, at least 18 women (mostly unfortunates, otherwise known as prostitutes) were either dismembered, mutilated, disembowelled, or attacked by a person, or persons, who have yet to be identified.

Many of these murders were not associated with the five deaths of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly, who became known as the five canonical victims of the world's most infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in areas around the Whitechapel district in 1888, and targeted prostitutes who worked in the squalid areas of the East End of London. Attacks on the women were mainly carried out in the early hours of the morning, and varied in their ferocity, possibly due to the chance of being spotted.

Martha Tabram, Ada Wilson, Francis Coles, Emma Elizabeth Smith, Annie Millwood, Catherine Mylett, and Alice McKenzie, have also been mentioned by some as possible Ripper victims. Most of these women lived in such close proximity that it seems probable that they knew each other, making it likely that they were also known to the Ripper, who may have been a pimp, a lodging house manager, or a local tradesman, who lived in the area and had detailed knowledge of the streets and alleyways of Whitechapel.

Over one hundred people have been investigated as potential suspects since the murderer carried out those gruesome deeds, but his (or her) true identity is still shrouded in the mists of time. Talk of a conspiracy to cover up a person of importance, handwritten letters, a human kidney delivered by mail, the curious discovery of a journal and watch supposedly signed by Jack, and even a knife claiming to belong to the murderer have yet to be established as real or fake, and with few clues and little evidence from the crime scenes, the mystery continues to baffle the experts who desire to put an identity to this most notorious of serial killers.

This website also offers you an interactive experience to examine the evidence, read about the suspects and victims, and ultimately make your mind up about the identity of Jack the Ripper.

Click the links below to start your journey to Whitechapel and the Autumn of Hell.

The Whitehall Mysteries

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Many of these murders were not associated with the five deaths of Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly, who became known as the five canonical victims of the world's most infamous serial killer, Jack the Ripper.