Was This The Real Jack The Ripper?

By: Riley Brown | Last updated: Jun 03, 2022

Since the time of the Whitechapel Murders of 1888, it has been speculated who actually committed them. The real Jack the Ripper is still unknown to date.

While none of the suspects are alive or will be alive, the mystery still goes on as historians and sleuths investigate who it may be. During the time of the murders, the police failed to identify the murderer in 1888. Here are some noteworthy Jack the Ripper suspects:

Montague John Druitt

Montague John Druitt died by suicide shortly after John The Ripper committed his final murder. Because of this, rumors spread that the suspect could have been Druitt.

Advertisement

A member of parliament made a description of a person who was similar to Montague John Druitt. However, he did not suit the bill completely. He was not trained medically similar to other suspects and he had committed suicide due to the depression he gained from the loss of his mother.

Advertisement

George Chapman

George Chapman was first arrested in 1902 after he was found with multiple bodies of women he had murdered. He would meet women, grow close to them, and murder them to take their inheritance. After he was arrested, detectives soon suspected Chapman to be the murderer they were looking for. He would supposedly go out during the night at the same time as the Whitechapel Murders.

Advertisement

However, even though he was highly speculated to be a suspect, police never concluded him to be one. His killing habits were quite different from Jack the Rippers, as he did not mutilate or dismember his victims, nor were they strangers to him.

James Maybrick

James Maybrick’s diary came into the public eye in 1992, almost a hundred years after the murder of Jack the Ripper. The diary includes details that they suspect to be James Maybrick. However, the diary is not necessarily named after him or claimed by him.

Advertisement

The diary takes credit for the murder of five of the victims assumed to be part of Jack the Ripper’s killing spree. A pocket watch was also found with his name with the words “I am Jack” engraved on it along with the initials of five victims. It was found, however, that the discoverer of the diary may have fabricated it.

Thomas Neill Cream

Like Jack the Ripper, Thomas Neill Cream murdered vulnerable women during the same time period. Cream was suspected of being Jack the Ripper due to his last words being “I am Jack…”

Advertisement

This evidence was found plausible by multiple witnesses. However, it was found that no one was present during the time of execution. It was also found that he was in prison during the time of the murders.

Thomas Cutbush

In 1891, Thomas Cutbush was hospitalized for syphilis when he stabbed a woman and attempted to stab another. He was under the delusion that they were trying to poison him. He was known as a violently mentally ill person, so it was led to be believed that he could have been Jack the Ripper.

He was dismissed by the police as a suspect as he would have been 22 at the time of the murders, and witnesses claimed that Jack the Ripper was much older. His uncle was also a superintendent with the London Metropolitan Police, so it is rumored that he was protected at the time of his investigation.

Advertisement

Aaron Kosminski

During the time of the investigation, police named one of the suspects “Kosminski.” They described him as a “Polish Jew” in a mental asylum. This fits a similar depiction of Aaron Kosminski.

Advertisement

However, there is little evidence connecting him with the suspect of “Kosminski” as the dates of their death are different. Over a century later, there would be physical DNA evidence linking the murders to Kosminski, but it may not be the Aaron Kosminski name.

Advertisement

Walter Sickert

Walter Sickert is notable for being a Jack the Ripper suspect due to his known hatred for women. He had surgery on his genitals that left him scarred emotionally and he showed his hatred openly.

He was easily cleared as being a suspect due to the fact that he was possibly not even in London during the time of the murders. Multiple letters from him came from France during the time. He also did not seem to be violent or have a fascination with murder.

Advertisement

Dr. Francis Tumblety

During the time of the murders, in 1888, Dr. Francis Tumblety would be arrested for interacting sexually with men. At the time, homosexuality was a crime where you would be arrested for indecent exposure.

Advertisement

While he is seen as a suspect, there is no notable evidence that points to Dr. Tumblety being the perpetrator. He had a different age, height, and description from the ones that witnesses described.

Advertisement

Charles Cross

Charles Cross was the first to notify the police and find the first victim of Jack the Ripper. He had given the police a false name and also false testimony.

He fits the bill in many ways, as he was a local man and his route to work was the same as where the murders took place. However, only one victim did not fit Cross’ description, which led the police to believe that he was not the perpetrator.

Advertisement

Michael Ostrog

Michael Ostrog fell onto the suspect list for being a Russian doctor and being locked in an insane asylum. He was arrested in 1887 due to issues with his mental illness.

Advertisement

He was known for being mentally ill. However, he was not known for being violent.

Advertisement