Jack the Ripper Victims

It isn’t known for certain how many victims Jack the Ripper had, although there is a general consensus amongst experts that there were five victims in total.

These victims, often referred to as the canonical five victims of Jack the Ripper, were murdered over a period of around twelve weeks, the first murder, that of Mary Nichols, being on 31st August 1888 and the final murder, that of Mary Kelly, being on 9th November 1888.

Since Jack the Ripper was never caught, and since the generic police file that covers his crimes, the Whitechapel Murders file, actually has eleven victims on it, it is almost impossible to say with any degree of certainty which of murders that occurred during the Autumn of Terror were at the hands of the ripper.

Whitechapel Murder Victims

Below we list the Whitechapel Murders victims and then go on to discuss whether or not they were murdered by Jack the Ripper.

Emma Elizabeth Smith

Emma Smith was attacked in the early hours of the morning on the 3rd of April 1888. Emma survived the initial attack and was even able to stagger to the London Hospital where she told a doctor she had been attacked by a gang of youths.

Martha Tabram

The body of Martha Tabram body was found on a first floor landing of George Yard Building on 8th August 1888. Martha had met with a soldier on Whitechapel High Street and had gone with him into George Yard, now called Gunthorpe Street. There is a great deal of debate as to whether or not Martha was a victim of Jack the Ripper.

Mary Nichols

The body of Mary Nichols was found in a gateway in Bucks Row (now Durward Street) on 31st August 1888. Mary is generally believed to have been the first victim of the killer who would later become known as Jack the Ripper.

Annie Chapman

Annie Chapman was found in the backyard of number 29 Hanbury Street on 8th September 1888. It was with Annie Chapman’s murder that the unease that had been bubbling away in the area since the murders of Martha Tabram and Mary Nichols. Gave way to outright panic.

Elizabeth Stride

After an absence of several weeks the killer returned to the streets of the East End of London on 30th September and claimed the lives of two victims within an hour of each other. The first victim, on what was dubbed the “night of the double event,” was Elizabeth Stride and it seems highly likely that her killer was interrupted in the act of murder.

Catherine Eddowes

The second victim on 30th September 1888 was Catherine Eddowes whose body was found in Mitre Square at 1.45am on 30th September 1888. Her injuries were absolutely horrific and her killer had taken away a trophy of his crime.

Mary Kelly

After the “double event” the whole of October passed with no further murders and, by the end of the month, the area as a whole had breathed a sigh of relief as the residents believed the murders had come to an end. But, on 9th November 1888, the killer, who by now was known as Jack the Ripper, returned and murdered Mary Kelly in her room in Miller’s Court.

Alice Mackenzie

There had been no murders since November 1888 when, at 12.50am on 17th July 1889, Police Constable Walter Andrews found the body of Alice Mckenzie in Castle Alley, Just off Whitechapel High Street. Although many experts believe that she wasn’t a victim of Jack the Ripper, some people at the time believed that the ripper had returned.

Frances Coles

whose body was found at 2.15am on Friday 13th November 1891. There was speculation that she was a victim of Jack the Ripper, so when the police arrested a sailor, and charged him with her murder, it seemed as though Jack the Ripper had finally been caught.