Recap

Investigating Jack the Ripper

Retired British Police Detective Trevor Marriott shared his 21st century investigation into the infamous Jack the Ripper case of 1888. In those days police methods were very basic and "without a doubt" the Ripper would have been caught if today's technology had been available, he said.

The victims, who were female prostitutes in London's destitute White Chapel area, all had their throats cut. Yet Marriott pointed out that in the Victorian era that was often the method used for killing a person. He does not believe the killings were done with surgical precision and that organ removal may have been done after the murders by unscrupulous people selling the body parts to research facilities.

Jack the Ripper's motive for the killings may have stemmed from a hatred of prostitutes, especially if he had contracted syphilis from one of them. Marriott suggested that the names of many suspects over the years have arised based on wild speculation rather than facts. His own theory is that Jack the Ripper could have been a merchant seaman as certain ships were consistently docked in the area during the murder dates, as well as in Germany where a similar murder was committed in 1889.

Related Articles

Who was Jack the Ripper?

There is no shortage of suspects for the infamous 19th century murders of London prostitutes. During the 1880's, police investigated such men as Montague John Druitt and "Dr." Francis Tumblety. Among the names that have surfaced in recent years include Walter Sickert and Prince Albert Victor. See a full list compiled at Wikipedia.

Graphic: The Nemesis of Neglect from Punch, Sept. 1888