The descendant of one of his victims has called for a new investigation into the crimes that rocked London in the late 19th century, as analyzes of genetic material lead to new speculation about history’s most famous serial killer.
In 1888, the horrific crimes of Jack the Ripper terrorized the residents of the slums of Whitechapel, East London. His identity remains unknown to this day: various theories have been formulated, without tangible evidence. At the same time, the names of dozens of suspects were mentioned, including members of the royal family and prime ministers.
In 2014, however, British author Russell Edwards said he had solved the mystery, thanks to DNA found on a shawl at the site where the fourth victim, Catherine Edwards, was killed on September 30, 1888.
A policeman had collected the shawl and given it to his wife. But she refused to bring it and left it as it was, in a box. The shawl later ended up in Scotland Yard’s Forensic Museum.
Catherine Eddoes was a 46-year-old woman who was occasionally extradited. The killer cut her throat and carved her face.
Russell Edwards, supported by Karen Miller, a descendant of Catherine Edwards, called for the murder case to be reopened.
Jack the Ripper «was written in history as a famous personMiller emphasized in an interview she gave to the Daily Mail. “People forget that the victims were not vindicated. Now, we need this investigation to legally name the perpetrator“, he added.
The prime suspect as ‘Jack the Ripper’
According to the author, Russell Edwards, Jack the Ripper’s name was Aaron Kosminski and he was a Jewish immigrant from Poland who worked as a barber. Kosminski was one of the main suspects in previous investigations as well.
Kosminski was born in Kłodawa in central Poland in 1865. His family moved to east London in the 1880s and lived close to the area where the crimes were committed, near the docks.
Edwards’s conjecture was criticized as soon as it was formulated. Also, in 2023, the great-granddaughter of a police officer who had been investigating Jack the Ripper claimed to have discovered his identity. He claimed that the serial killer was Hyam Hyams, a cigar maker, epileptic and alcoholic who was in and out of mental hospitals.
