It didn't go unnoticed that, like Mary Nichols before her, Annie Chapman had died for the sake of fourpence that would have paid for her bed. The police and doctors spent the next few hours carrying out a detailed inspection of the crime scene. In addition, a photographer was brought in and the body was photographed as it lay on the bed. This horrific and haunting image still exists, and is one of the earliest crime scene photos that we have. THE BODY TAKEN TO THE MORTUARY In this book, Edwards recounts his interest in the Ripper (this whole book has rather too much about the author for my particular taste, but he does recount the story well and his memories of watching news reports about the Yorkshire Ripper which triggered his fascination were interesting) and his attempt to buy a shawl which was believed to have belonged to one of the Ripper victims, Catherine Eddowes. Edwards was convinced that he knew something about this shawl that everyone else had missed and that it contained incontrovertible proof about the Ripper’s identity.

Jack the Ripper | Identity, Facts, Victims, and Suspects Jack the Ripper | Identity, Facts, Victims, and Suspects

When it comes to the DNA sample from an unnamed descendant of the Ripper suspect - Aaron Kaminski - the book becomes rather unclear. We are told that a number of microscope slides taken from the shawl were collected from a possible semen stain that contained no sperm. The slides do nonetheless contain cells that may or may not have come from the inside of a male urethra at ejaculation, or else some other unrelated part of their body. We are told that one cell found, amongst others, on these slides was a very significant match to the DNA of Kosminski's surviving genetic descendant who gave the author, Edwards, a DNA sample. The book itself contains some basic factual errors. For example, Edwards consistently refers to H Division as being Stepney (which it was at the time of the formation of the Metropolitan Police) when in 1888, it was Whitechapel. The book is more than just an outline of a theory and supporting evidence for Edwards; it comes across as a cathartic exercise. It is obviously a very personal for him, and he details his “journey” through gathering evidence alongside his “journey” through life – his business concerns, pregnancies, miscarriages, IVF treatments, etc. Finally, Edwards almost seems to think he was guided by “destiny” in “solving” the case. To me, this raises concerns, as emotion can outweigh the evidence.Between April, 1888 and February, 1891, eleven women were murdered in the East End of London, and their names were included in a police file that was officially titled, "The Whitechapel Murders."

Naming Jack the Ripper by Russell Edwards - Pan Macmillan

Since he hadn't seen her for a few days, Donovan asked her were she had been? "In the infirmary," she replied, weakly. He allowed her to go to the kitchen, where she remained until the early hours of Saturday morning, the 8th of September, 1888. When I first heard about this book I must admit I was sceptical. There has been so many books claiming to state who the killer really was and of course are often based on very little real evidence at all. Therefore I really didn't expect to finish this book and agree that the author has really identified the killer.John Evans then escorted her from the premises, and watched her head off along Dorset Street, observing later that she appeared to be slightly tipsy as opposed to drunk. HER BODY FOUND IN HANBURY STREET Here, Inspector Spratling, of the Metropolitan Police's J Division, arrived to take down a description of the, at the time, unknown victim, and he made the horrific discovery that, in addition to the dreadful wound to the throat, a deep gash ran all the way along the woman's abdomen - she had been disembowled. HER FAMILY VISIT THE MORTUARY Police who worked the case at the time of the murders would not have been surprised to see Kosminski’s name linked to the crime. At the time of the murders, Kosminski was among the handful of primary suspects. The youngest of seven children, Kosminski was born in Klodawa, Poland, in 1865. After the death of his father, the family fled the pogroms flamed by Poland’s Russians rulers and immigrated to London’s Whitechapel section in 1881.