5 Chilling Details About Jack the Ripper’s Crimes

Jack the Ripper is one of the most infamous, albeit unidentified, serial killers in the history of humanity. The mysterious figure is known to have been active in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888, from August to November.

During this time, a total of five official victims were attributed to the killer, although unofficial records state that he may have been responsible for dozens of other crimes as well.

While shows and movies have delved into his story numerous times, the fact that the killer was never caught has added to the mystery surrounding the killing spree. Volume 4, Episode 1, of Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix delved into Jack the Ripper's story.

---

5 concerning details about Jack the Ripper

1. Jack the Ripper operated only in London

What is quite notable is that despite the extent of crimes that he committed, Jack the Ripper only operated in and around London. The Ripper most notably targeted women in the district of Whitechapel.

All of the Ripper’s victims were found in or near the district, which was located in the traditionally poorer part of the city. Furthermore, while some other cases were suspected to be the work of the Ripper, only five dead bodies were identified and attributed to the mystery serial killer.

---

2. The killer created a wave of fear in the entire city

While there might have been only five official victims, the entire city felt the fear of London being taken over by a bonafide serial killer. Not much is known about the five victims as well, with no connection between them.

However, the entire city had been put under alarm, and single women, in particular, had to be extremely careful during this time. The Ripper’s crimes were extensively covered by the media, and a range of reports claimed that several other murders that took place in the same area were also possibly committed by the same person.

---

3. Jack the Ripper was speculated to be a doctor

The sheer brutality yet calculated manner in which the murders were committed led to a range of rumors about the crimes. Jack the Ripper was active at a time when London was fraught with crime and was generally considered unsafe. However, judging by the condition in which the bodies were left by the killer, people came to conclude that he had to be a doctor or a butcher.

The killer in question appeared to be well-versed in human biology and knew exactly where to attack in order to quickly subdue his victims. The brutal way in which these crimes were committed meant that the Ripper may as well have been sworn to protect people as a doctor, even though this remains unconfirmed.

---

4. The killer kept trophies of his victims

Moving on, Jack the Ripper was well ahead of the murderers of this time. This was because he was known to have kept some part of his victim’s bodies as a trophy. This was especially suspected to be true for his victim, Annie Chapman, whose body was found carefully mutilated.

Parts of her insides had also been carved out and taken away, which included parts of her bladder, with some other organs reportedly completely missing. Hence, the Ripper might as well have been the first serial killer known to have collected trophies of his victims.

---

5. The killer sent letters to Scotland Yard

Finally, we have the fact that a range of letters were sent to Scotland Yard during this time, all addressed from ‘Jack the Ripper.’ In what was a daunting show of guts and fearlessness, the killer himself not only detailed the crimes that he had already committed but also warned the police that he would continue murdering innocents in the future.

The letters could never be traced back to the sender and may have been part of a prank or a hoax perpetrated by pranksters. However, they contained details that were not released to the public at the time, which suggests that they could easily have been sent by the actual killer.

---

A total of five victims, Mary Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes, were officially attributed to Jack the Ripper. Still, as the above details suggest, a range of other sinister crimes may have been committed by the same person, even if no other murder was attributed to Jack the Ripper officially.

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 is available to stream on Netflix.