Who Was Jack The Ripper? Unsolved Mysteries' 5 Suspects Explained

Aug. 1, 2024, midnight

Movies

Who Was Jack The Ripper? Unsolved Mysteries' 5 Suspects Explained

0 0

The following article contains mentions of suicide.

Summary John Pizer, the Leather Apron, was wrongly suspected by London police and quickly ruled out as Jack the Ripper.

Montague John Druitt was a serious suspect who died by suicide but the police lacked concrete evidence linking him to the murders.

Francis Tumblety, an American fraud, was arrested in London for the murders but escaped police custody on bail.

Unsolved Mysteries dives deep into the Jack the Ripper case (perhaps one of the biggest unsolved cases in history) in volume 4, including exploring five suspects who have been named over the years. The Netflix true crime documentary series was created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer and originally premiered in January 1987 on ABC. Since then, Unsolved Mysteries has jumped around networks and streaming services — from ABC to CBS to Lifetime to Spike and, most recently, to Netflix. The streaming platform has released four volumes consisting of 26 episodes, including one about the infamous Jack the Ripper.

Unsolved Mysteries volume 5, consisting of four episodes, is scheduled to be released in October 2024.

Jack the Ripper was a serial killer who murdered at least five women (Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, and Mary Jane Kelly) in the Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. The police never caught him, so, the case has gone cold. Over the years, many have tried to solve the mystery of Jack the Ripper's identity. Several suspects have popped up since the late 1880s, including H.H. Holmes (a theory that has been debunked). But without any concrete evidence or a motive, it's almost impossible to correctly identify Jack the Ripper, but some are determined to.

Unsolved Mysteries' Jack the Ripper Suspects Birth & Death Dates John Pizer 1850 – 1897 Montague John Druitt August 15, 1857 – December 1888 Francis Tumblety 1833 – 1903 Aaron Kosminski September 11, 1865 – March 24, 1919 Sir William Withey Gull December 31, 1816 – January 29, 1890

5 John Pizer

Pizer Was Known As The "Leather Apron"

The first Jack the Ripper suspect mentioned in Unsolved Mysteries volume 4, episode 1 is John Pizer, also known as the Leather Apron, who resided in Whitechapel and worked as a bootmaker. The London police actually suspected that Pizer was the killer and arrested him after the first two murders. They tried connecting him to a popular theory in the press that the Leather Apron was the murderer. However, the police quickly discovered that Pizer could not have been Jack the Ripper.

Jack the Ripper's Canonical Five Victims Birth & Death Dates Mary Ann Nichols August 26, 1845 – August 31, 1888 Annie Chapman September 25, 1840 – September 8, 1888 Elizabeth Stride November 27, 1843 – September 30, 1888 Catherine Eddowes April 14, 1842 – September 30, 1888 Mary Jane Kelly 1863 – November 9, 1888

Pizer had airtight alibis for the nights of the murders, and law enforcement officials debunked the theory that tied a leather apron to the killings. So, they let Pizer go and continued their investigation. However, as mentioned in the legendary TV show Unsolved Mysteries, Pizer was only the first of hundreds of suspects who have been accused of being Jack the Ripper. Of course, no one has ever been officially charged with the murders (and never will be because he is surely dead), so, all of these suspects are merely theories that haven't been proven.

4 Montague John Druitt

Druitt Died By Suicide In 1888

The first (serious) Jack the Ripper suspect thoroughly discussed in Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries volume 4, episode 1, "Who was Jack the Ripper?," was Montague John Druitt. Druitt was a barrister and teacher working in South London but was dismissed from his position in November 1888 for unknown reasons. A short time later, Druitt died by suicide, and his body was found floating in the River Thames on December 31, 1888, which caught the attention of the investigators working on the Jack the Ripper case.

Unsolved Mysteries Volume 4 Episodes Director Location "Who was Jack the Ripper?" Robert Wise London, England "Body in the Basement" Gabe Torres Calgary, Alberta, Canada "The Severed Head" Skye Borgman Economy Borough, Pennsylvania "Murder, Center Stage" Robert Wise Trenton State College, New Jersey "The Mothman Revisited" Gabe Torres Illinois and Virginia

The last confirmed victim of Jack the Ripper is Mary Jane Kelly, who died on November 9, 1888, a little less than two months before Druitt's body was found floating in the water. The murders subsequently stopped, so, the police theorized that Jack the Ripper might have died by suicide. That theory led them to Druitt, and it was strengthened when they learned that his family even believed he was the murderer.

The only thing that could possibly (but not really) identify Druitt as Jack the Ripper is the fact that he died by suicide a couple of months after the last murder.

Druitt's brother claimed that he had been mentally unstable, and his suicide note revealed that Druitt felt he was going mad. However, no concrete evidence (including eyewitness accounts) connects Druitt to the murders or Whitechapel. The only thing that could possibly (but not really) identify Druitt as Jack the Ripper is the fact that he died by suicide a couple of months after the last murder.

3 Francis Tumblety

Tumblety Was American

Another suspect dissected in the Jack the Ripper episode of Unsolved Mysteries volume 4 is Francis Tumblety. Tumblety, who was American, claimed to be a doctor, but he was really a fraud. The London police arrested Tumblety for the Jack the Ripper murders before Mary Jane Kelly was killed. However, he made bail and escaped back to the United States, where Tumblety explained that he had been fascinated by the murders, and that's why he was in Whitechapel.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Tumblety never returned to London or was arrested again as there was no proof that he was Jack Ripper (and he was across the pond). Additionally, since he was seemingly in police custody when Mary Jane Kelly was murdered, it's quite unlikely that Tumblety was Jack the Ripper. He might not have been an upstanding citizen, but he probably wasn't the man murdering women in Whitechapel in 1888. So, while some still consider him to be a Jack the Ripper suspect, it's almost impossible to prove that Tumblety was guilty of killing the five women.

2 Aaron Kosminski

Many Are Unsure If Aaron Is The Right Kosminski

The fourth Jack the Ripper suspect mentioned in Unsolved Mysteries volume 4, episode 1, is Aaron Kosminski. However, the glaring problem with this theory is that historians are not sure if Aaron Kosminski is the right Kosminski that the original investigators thought could be the serial killer. As stated in the Netflix true crime TV show, Kosminski pops up a lot in police files but is never given a first name. By the power of deduction, many believe that they were referencing Aaron Kosminski.

Other popular Jack the Ripper suspects not thoroughly dissected in Unsolved Mysteries volume 4, episode 1, include Carl Feigenbaum, Charles Allen Lechemere, George Chapman, William Grant Grainger, James Kelly, Thomas Cutbush, and several others.

Kosminski was described as a "Polish Jew who was put into an insane asylum." By looking at asylum records from that time, historians were able to conclude that Aaron Kosminski was the Jack the Ripper suspect mentioned in law enforcement files. Aaron Kosminski lived in Whitechapel and was Polish and Jewish, but he did not go to the insane asylum until 1891, three years after the last canonical Jack the Ripper murder. Many believe that there had to have been a concrete reason why Jack the Ripper stopped killing (he died, was arrested, etc), and Aaron Kosminski doesn't fit that mold.

Nevertheless, Sir Robert Anderson and Chief Inspector Donald Sutherland Swanson (the two highest-ranking officers who worked on the Jack the Ripper case) strongly believe Kosminski was the murderer. So, it's difficult to definitively rule Aaron Kosminski as a suspect. The most significant problem with this theory is that historians are not 100 percent sure that Aaron Kosminski is the Kosminski.

Related Unsolved Mysteries Kayla Unbehaun Episode: How The Missing Girl Was Found After The Netflix Series The Kayla Unbehaun episode of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries is one of the show's first successes, as the case was solved due to the series' popularity.

1 Sir William Withey Gull

Movies & TV Shows Depict Gull As Jack The Ripper

The final suspect discussed in Unsolved Mysteries volume 4, episode 1, "Who was Jack the Ripper?," is Sir William Withey Gull. Gull is the man who is often depicted as Jack the Ripper in films and TV shows (including From Hell starring Johnny Depp and Ian Holm, and Jack the Ripper starring Michael Caine). However, the theory surrounding Gull is probably one of the most fascinating ones pertaining to this centuries-old case.

Unfortunately, although Unsolved Mysteries, one of the best true crime TV shows on Netflix, presents a handful of Jack the Ripper suspects, the truth will likely never be revealed.

As detailed in Unsolved Mysteries, the Royal Conspiracy Theory states Queen Victoria's grandson, Prince Albert Victor, had an affair with a sex worker, resulting in a baby named Alice. Alice's nanny was Mary Jane Kelly (the final Ripper victim), who had four friends — Mary Ann Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, and Catherine Eddowes. Together, they blackmailed the Crown with Alice's existence. Then, Gull, the royal doctor, was tasked with killing all five women. Of course, this theory is more entertaining than it is truthful and has been debunked.

One other glaring problem with Gull being Jack the Ripper is that he had a stroke two years before the murders. So, it would have been difficult for him to carry out the gruesome crimes in Whitechapel. Gull's name also doesn't show up in any files about the case, weakening the theory that he committed the murders even more. Unfortunately, although Unsolved Mysteries, one of the best true crime TV shows on Netflix, presents a handful of Jack the Ripper suspects, the truth will likely never be revealed.